#i literally couldn’t stop thinking about it and apparently i just ran through all the content somehow💀

[overwhelmed-blueberry-muffin]

My contribution to the RWRB brain rot😂❤️

Song- Somewhere Only We Know by Keane✨

(Please give it some love, i had to restart half of it like 3 times cause the program i used kept deleting it💀)

🌸Other edits🌸

[got-pucks]

sports betting gone right? || quinn hughes

summary: in which quinn hughes is completely infatuated with you and will do anything just to get more of you

warnings: none! :)

note: to the anon who requested this, i did make a slight change to your request, but i totally hope that you don’t mind :)

Much to his dismay, Quinn had been in New Jersey to help his family with moving Luke into his apartment with Jack. Luke hadn't fully moved into New Jersey during the playoff season, as he wouldn't have been there for very long. The family thought the best option was to move the essentials such as a bed, nightstand, and some clothing at first and then whatever Luke felt he might need later on.

Quinn hadn’t seen the point in needing the whole family, especially with all the different moving companies that could have done all the work instead. He couldn’t stop thinking about how he would rather be anywhere else, frustrated with all the different directions being shouted at everyone. Quinn had always felt that he was pretty easygoing and was chill with most things, but even this was a lot for him.

After a few hours of bickering between the brothers and a couple of stern looks from Ellen, everything that Luke could have possibly needed for the upcoming season was moved into the apartment. The family decided to go to a local street fair to see the different vendors and food stalls that were there. 

As the family was walking up and down the street Quinn was looking anywhere but straight ahead. His mind was wandering, thinking about all the things he needed to do in preparation for the upcoming season. Next thing he knew he felt himself knocking into someone, causing him to grunt and fall straight onto his ass. 

Quinn could hear his brothers snickering about him being an idiot while heat rose to his face as he quickly tried to stand back up. As soon as he was back on his feet and facing the person he ran into, Quinn swore he almost fell over again, coming face to face with you, one of the most beautiful people he has laid his eyes on. He felt completely enamored by all your features wanting to take everything about you in.

“Don’t mind my brother,” he heard Jack say before he could even mumble out an apology, “he can be more than kind of a dumbass sometimes.” 

Quinn turned to give Jack a mouthful when he heard you laugh, “Oh Jack, don’t be so mean to your family. That's your brother you're talking about!” 

Quinn watched with his mouth agape as he saw you and Jack hugged each other. He introduced you to his family, explaining how you had met through a mutual friend during his rookie year. You had apparently helped Jack a lot, teaching him how to cook a few basic meals and survive on his own. 

Suddenly, Quinn felt himself pushing himself closer to you letting out an apology about how bad he felt for not paying attention and then quite literally running into you. You laughed even more at Quinn, making him think to himself that he could hear that sound forever. Not thinking much, Quinn blurts out an invitation to join his family while they walk around looking at the different vendors. Thankfully, you accepted the offer.

You and Quinn had spent that time hitting it off, which turns out that the two of you had many similar interests. By the end of the night, Quinn felt like he had known you for years. Feeling like he hadn't had enough of you, he had asked if he could take you to dinner sometime.

“You know, hockey players aren’t my type,” Quinn could feel his heart drop as the grin on your face grew, “but maybe I am willing to make an exception because I just think you’re way cute. The next time you’re in town to play a game against your brothers, and you score a goal, I’ll consider going on a date.” 

Suddenly, Quinn could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He mumbled quietly, “I mean yeah… I could possibly manage that.” 

“Okay well, that sounds perfect!” you exclaimed, then kissing Quinn on the cheek, which caused his face to get hot for one more time that night. 

After that night, all Quinn could think about was you and your little proposition. Eventually, that game came around. He made sure that Jack had gotten you tickets, even going as far as suggesting that you should sit with their parents during the game. 

He felt like a nervous wreck all before the game, wondering if he would even get the chance to score a goal just so he could get a date with the most beautiful human being he had ever met. However, those nerves were not needed, as he ended up getting a hat trick by the end of the game. Each goal scored he searched for your face in the stands to give you a little wink. Quinn had felt like a king that night, not only bringing in the win for his team but also the prospect of getting to take you on a date.

By the end of the night, you found yourself opening a text from an unknown number. 

Hey, I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from Jack. Anyways, about that date? :)

[klaus-littlestwolf]

Sweet Little Sub -Klaus M.

I got a Sub!Klaus request (I lost it😢) but I gave it a shot. Never posted a Sub!Klaus before so I hope you enjoy

It was an accident. You had been in the room to drop off some papers to the art teacher when you saw him struggling to carry the large canvas and you decided to help. You didn’t know the door locked behind you and apparently he didn’t either because as soon as you had helped Klaus set down the painting the doorknob wouldn’t budge and here you are, sitting in the art room closet trying to calm down this nerds panic attack.

You had never spoken to Klaus, only seen him a few times since moving the first year of high school but you felt for him as he pulled his knees to his chest, hyperventilating.

‘Klaus, just try and breathe with me, okay? Everything is okay, there’s another class in this room after lunch, just breathe.’ You tried desperately to get him to copy you and while he tried, he couldn’t. He really doesn’t like enclosed spaces. You snuggled up next to him and tried to calm him down, but just as the tears began leaking behind his glasses you had an idea…an awful idea.

‘Oh Fuck!’ He cried as you cupped your hand between his legs, rubbing against his cock which Instantly jumped to life. You continued moving your hand until he was completely hard, staring down at your hand as he watched you rubbing him. He had clearly stopped thinking about where he was but you didn’t want him to start again so you continued, unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants away enough that his cock slapped against his stomach.

How is his cock so thick?

You licked your hand before stroking his cock, cupping his balls with your other hand which made his hips thrust up into your hand quite hard. ‘Oh God! Please don’t stop?’ He pleaded and as he whined it sent a wave of slick down between your legs. ‘So good…oh so good!’ He was such a sweet thing, how could you deny him?

‘Just relax, you’re okay. Such a sweet boy, aren’t you?’ He nodded rapidly, head falling onto your shoulder. The whimpers that fell from his lips were almost too much for you as you pumped your hand faster, leaning down as he cried out and ensuring he didn’t get his cum all over the both of you, swallowing quickly. He sagged against your side as you fixed his pants, too tired to complain about the small closet anymore. ‘Don’t go freaking out on me again, okay?’ Klaus responded by pushing you to lay back on the floor and laying beside you, leaning onto your body. It was cute but weird before he was tucking his head under your shirt and pulling your bra cup down just enough to expose your nipple to his mouth and allow him to suckle on it. ‘Oh…you’re so sweet, aren’t you? Fuck!’

‘Mmhmm.’ He moaned enthusiastically.

‘Such sweet lips. Klaus-Shit! Mmmm.’ It was your turn to be the one panting heavily, his hand now running up and down between your legs making your hips jump and thrust against his palm. ‘Don’t stop baby, keep ah! So good, sweet little fucking mouth!’ Your fingers ran through his hair and his hips now jumped against your side but just as you were both really working yourselves up you heard the teachers voice coming closer. You jumped up to fix yourself and dragged him up too when he just stared up at you like you purposefully ruined the moment and you had hidden his erection just as the teacher opened the door, gasping upon seeing you. You were gone before she finished her apology and running to your next class, hoping to never have to see him again…fate is not your friend.

You began seeing him everywhere, though you suspected it was because he started following you around like a puppy, which would have been cute if you were a couple.

He left notes, and chocolates and cute drawings in your locker for the next week and it was all so precious when you considered the fact that Klaus didn’t talk to anyone. Literally no one. The boy had no friends, only a brother 2 years younger who never spoke to him and one that graduated 2 years before. You suspected though as the notes got more serious that it may be more of an obsession…though it was nice to be someone’s fantasy.

‘Y/n, I can’t stop thinking about you, you consume all of my thoughts. Please give me a chance to show you I can give you just as good as you gave me, you’ll never want to let me go again. I need you, and I’ll make sure you want me…and my sweet little mouth.’

That was attached to a cute stuffed bear in your locker on Friday morning. How he got into your locker you have no idea. Your friends had been making fun of you since the first time he said ‘hi’ to you and while you told them to fuck off, you didn’t feel right taking advantage of his sweet nature, which is exactly what you would tell him.

It was lunch time and you waited for him to walk passed the music room before grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him inside, pinning him to the door as it shut. He was terrified before realizing who it was, smiling that cute lopsided grin. ‘Hello love. Did you get my note-‘ I cut him off, slapping my hand over his mouth and watching his eyes go wide.

‘I got all of them, for days! What are you playing at? We were in that closet for 10 minutes, I helped you calm down, that’s it! I don’t want your never ending loyalty and undying love Klaus! I’m a bitch! A proper bitch, I’m mean to everyone, and you’re a sweet little artist. I’m sure you can find someone better. I need you to give up this little crush, okay?!’ His eyes were full of tears and I instantly felt bad for having hurt him.

‘But…but you’re safe…you feel so good, why? What did I do wrong? I didn’t-‘

‘Klaus, you didn’t do anything wrong! I’m glad that I made you feel safe, but you could find someone so much better for you, someone who can be everything you need. I’m too…I’m not-‘

‘Mommy.’ I looked back at him in shock and his face was red but he held my gaze. ‘You’re mommy…want you to be. You made me feel safe…and small. No one has ever tried to make me feel better and I…please don’t leave me?’ He clutched onto my shirt, digging his face into my neck and holding on for dear life.

I stood there, holding him, and thinking about how bad this could have been for him. If he had latched onto someone else, acted like this with anyone else, he would have been teased mercilessly, but it’s me and I understand why he feels this way towards me after I took care of him…I’m an idiot, but I had to admit, I love his sweet attitude and warm hugs.

‘Okay sweetheart, okay. Let’s get out of here, huh? We’ll go back to my house and clean your sweet face back up. Come on.’ I held him to me and exited out the back towards my car, helping him sit into the passenger seat. The entire ride he leaned over the center console and held onto my arm and it was so pathetically cute that I didn’t know how to react.

Cleaning his face was easy and he didn’t talk much at all, occasionally mumbling but mostly just snuggling as close to me as he possibly could which I enjoyed more than I expected.

‘You’re okay sweet boy, you can stay as long as you want to.’

‘Really?’ He wondered excitedly and I couldn’t hide my smile, turning on a movie and relaxing back into my bed with him snuggled into me.

‘Of course Nik, I don’t mind snuggling, you just can’t hold onto me all the time at school like this.’ His hands slowly sneaked up my shirt, pushing the top up over my chest.

‘What about between classes?’ He asked suggestively and I snorted.

‘I suppose we could find some alone time during lunch if you need. Go ahead.’ He tucked his head under the shirt and pulled my bra down enough to wrap his lips around my nipple, suckling enthusiastically causing little moans from me now and then. I moved to pull off my shirt and maneuver my bra off, tossing it off to the side.

I had always known I was different, my preferences in boys being strange to all of my friends and making me believe that I’m destined to be alone but Nik has quickly changed that idea for me. I brushed my fingers through his blond locks and he whined.

‘Take this off baby.’ I instructed, tugging at his shirt and throwing it aside as it came off. ‘Good boy.’

‘Oh God!’ He groaned, his hips grinding against my thigh and I could feel his hard cock trying to find some relief.

‘You like that? Do you like being your Mommy’s good boy?’ His head nodded frantically, my nipple being released from his mouth as he slid down my body and pulled at the button of my jeans. ‘Baby, you don’t have to-‘

‘Please? Wanna take care of you Mommy, I can make you feel good too, I promise!’ He was excited and it was adorable as he unzipped my pants and pulled them down, my panties coming off with them. He paused as he looked down at me, looking me over and making me feel self conscious, though only for about 2 seconds. ‘Mommy’s so pretty…all mine, fuck!’ He leaned down, nipping his teeth at my belly button and making me gasp.

‘Put that filthy mouth to good use baby…Ah!’ He stuck his tongue out, trailing it straight up my cunt and flicking over my clit. My fingers found his hair and I gripped it tight, Nikky hissing as I did, pushing his face deeper into me and seeming to enjoy as I pulled him closer still and practically rode his face as I ground my pussy against his mouth. ‘Such a sweet little tongue, so close-‘ my hips thrust up as I came quite suddenly, his hands having found their way to my chest and pinching my nipples which sent me over the edge.

He seemed quite determined to clean me up before resting his head on my lower stomach and looking up at me with his pretty blue eyes. ‘Can I stay Mommy?’ He asked and I couldn’t help my laugh at that which seemed to make him pout instantly.

‘Of course you can baby. You can stay right here with me all weekend if you want.’ He grinned and I used my sheet to wiped his face as he crawled back up to me and dug his face into my neck. ‘Sleep precious boy, Mommy’s got you.’ Nik drifted off fairly quickly, taking a nap right there pressed against my body and I pulled a blanket up, drifting off as well.

I came to learn that Nik would spend as much time as possible with his lips wrapped around my chest, it became his favorite pastime and between classes was his favorite time to do it. Especially if he was having a bad day, we would end up in the empty music room through our lunch period with him holding onto me tightly and suckling on my nipples. He was a very clingy boyfriend but I was the first person to tell anyone with comments to shut the fuck up, I loved how much Nikky loved me and needed me and I would never push him away just because someone is too ignorant to understand.

Klaus Mikaelson Masterlist

[lil-binuu]

˖⁺‧₊𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝

PART III ₊‧⁺˖

He almost didn’t hear you scream.

1680 words (buckle up!)

part 1

part 2

THE SERIES IS BACKKKKK

i’m so sorry for keeping y’all waiting 😭 it’s been a LITERAL MONTH. y’all are so patient and i really really appreciate it! i hope you enjoy!

Tw: strangulation, violence, pedophilia? elias admits he’s a dick, warden is a chill guy (hes actually also a bit of a dick but eh)

Nothing was going through Elias’s head as he ran into your apartment building and up the stairs, two at a time, calling your name repeatedly.

He nearly fell through the open doorway, lunging himself at the attacker on top of you.

It was difficult for you to scream with his hands around your neck, shoved straight against a wall. You tried to kick and push him off you but with your restricted breathing your eyes began to blur black and white.

As Elias dragged the man away from you, landing punches straight into his face, you dropped to the floor. Clutching your throat, gasping for breath through tears.

Your attacker lay limb on the floor, face bloody and messy.

Elias ran over to you, kneeling by your side.

His hands cupped your face, urging you to look at him.

You couldn’t even think, the thumping of your heart loud in your ears, muffling the words of concern from Elias.

He exhaled shakily, pulling you to his chest and holding you tightly.

You almost fell into his embrace, resting your head against him as you sucked air back into your lungs.

Elias held you as if letting you go would kill him.

You cried into his chest, tears running freely as he brought a hand to wipe them away.

Eventually, your breathing slowed. You wiped your eyes, looking up at Elias’s worried expression.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded, blinking through the last of your tears.

“Does it hurt?”

“A l-little.” You whispered, reaching to your neck.

“Let me see.” Elias said, lifting your chin and stroking a thumb across your skin. “It’s quite red. And it’ll bruise, but I think you’re okay. Can you breathe fine?”

You nodded again, taking his hand to help you stand up.

Elias looked over to the man lying unconscious on the floor.

“Who is he?” You asked.

“A hitman. And luckily, a bad one.”

“Here. I got you ice.”

Instead of taking you to his apartment, which could have been dangerous if there was another hitman waiting, he took you to one of the Quetza Hotels.

You smiled weakly, eyes still red from crying- something that you apparently couldn’t stop doing no matter how hard you tried.

Elias examined your injury again, pressing the ice wrapped in cloth to your skin.

“I should’ve walked you in.”

You looked up at him, taking the bundle from his hand.

“It’s not your fault, I told you to leave.”

“Still, I should’ve been more careful.” His tone was regretful. You couldn’t let him feel guilty or at fault for this.

You took a breath. “I- I’m sorry, Elias. I’m sorry for getting mad at you a- and saying all of that stuff, you know I didn’t mean it, right?”

Elias put a hand around your cheek. “I know, baby.” And placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I’m sorry too.” He sighed. “I was being a dick. And I’m sorry for making you feel like you weren’t good enough. You’re more than enough, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and I was acting so stupid for someone I cared about.”

You leaned forward, pulling him into an embrace. “Thank you,” You whispered. Finally. This is what you wanted, to stop the arguments, to stop pretending like you didn’t make each other complete, because you did.

“I shouldn’t have flirted with that guy, I should’ve known how it would make you feel. I’m sorry.”

He pulled away to look at you.

“It’s okay. It was my fault for not making my feelings clear sooner. I don’t even know what I was waiting for, I was just hesitating.”

You heard the door of the hotel open and looked over.

“I messaged him about what happened,” Elias explained.

“-I wanted to see for myself.” Warden’s gruff voice filled the room.

He came inside and set a briefcase on the coffee table in front of you.

“Is it critical?” He asked, bringing a chair over.

“No, I don’t think so. They can breathe fine and are just in a bit of pain.”

“It seems the ice helped?” Warden gestured.

You nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.” Elias said. “It’s less swollen now.”

“Does it hurt to speak?”

“N-not that much.” You answered.

“Good. Do you think you can ID the guy?”

You nodded again, “I’ll try.”

He opened the briefcase, revealing pictures and documents- mugshots and criminal records. He laid them out on the table.

“Don’t overthink it, just take a look at the pictures and see if you recognise anyone.”

It was simple enough. You took your time flipping through pictures. Men with big scars, tattoos branded across their faces, they looked like criminals. You came across ID logs of known hitmen and looked through them until you found one that resembled the man perfectly.

“Him.” You pointed to the picture.

“Are you sure?” The Warden asked, flicking through pages to find more pictures of the man. You remembered the face above you as he took your throat in his hands. There was no doubt it was him.

“Gabriel Murphy.” He set out a few more photos of different people. “These are known and suspected clients and affiliates” He gestured.

“We still don’t know who ordered the attack, but they might give us a clue.”

The rest of the pictures were people you had never seen before in your life. In a way, it was interesting to look at; to see the type of people who caused trouble. Until another photo in particular caught your eye.

“Wait- who’s that.” You exclaimed suddenly.

Your mouth fell.

“That’s my ex.”

The words hardly made it out, a mere whisper.

“What?”

Your confession captured Elias’s interest immediately.

“Ex? You dated this guy?”

You exhaled slowly, nodding.

“I- I met him when I was in high school.. I had no idea he did gang stuff. I guess he was the type…”

Elias was silent for a moment.

“Your taste in men is appalling.”

You frowned, pouting.

“Hey,” You nudged him with your arm, “My taste in men is you.”

Elias laughed, putting his arm around you.

“How did you even date him? Wouldn’t he have been way older if you were in high school?”

“Ugh, yeah. Gosh, I was so naive.”

“Noah Turner?” Warden asked, laptop out. Criminal logs loaded up on the screen.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

It felt like ages since you saw that face. He almost hadn’t changed. The same mopey haircut, infected piercings and chiselled jaw. How on earth did you find this guy attractive?

“It seems not only has Gabriel Murphy done these kinds of jobs before,” Warden began, “But Noah has been the client for several of them.”

You felt sick. You didn’t expect that Noah would actually do something like that. Could Noah have tried to get you killed? After all this time? And he’s done it before?

“So that’s it? We know who ordered the attack?” Elias asked.

“We still don’t know for sure, and we can’t go jumping to conclusions.” He paused for a second.

“There is one way that we’ll know for sure.”

Elias looked at him, suddenly serious.

“No. No, absolutely not.”

“I’m just suggesting-” The warden tried to cut in, but Elias raised his voice.

“No! You can’t do that. I won’t let you!”

You sat there, worried and confused. What was Elias so worked up about?

Elias saw your expression.

“He wants to see the face of a man who’s seen a ghost.”

He took a breath. “It means, if your ex sees you alive, his reaction will tell us that he either knew about the attack or ordered it.”

“Or neither.” Warden added.

“It’s too dangerous.” Elias shook his head.

“If we don’t find out who ordered the attack, it’ll happen again. Do you want to take that chance?”

Elias stood up, his voice hardly below a yell.

“Do you want to take the chance that they could die, if they go looking for the person who wanted them dead?”

“It’s a risk we need to take.” Warden demanded, closing the briefcase and rising to his feet.

“You’re heartless.” Elias scoffed.

“I’m just doing what’s best for you.”

“Best for me? You don’t even care about me.”

“Of course I care, Elias. Which is why we need to find who ordered this attack and this is how we do it.”

“There are other ways!”

“Name one. Whatever it is, it’ll lead us nowhere.”

“I won’t let you.” Elias said weakly. His voice was desperate now. Just a little boy tugging on the hem of his father’s trousers, begging for him to listen.

“It’s not your decision to make.”

The Warden turned to you.

“It’s yours.”

He took the briefcase and started towards the door. “For now, rest. Both of you. I’ll be in contact.”

Once he left, Elias sighed, sinking down back onto the couch next to you.

“You don’t have to do it.” He said, looking at you honestly. “Forget what he said, he’s incompetent. You don’t have to do it, we can find another way.”

“I don’t know..” You answered meekly.

Elias took your hand.

“Please say you won’t do it..” He whispered.

That night Elias couldn’t sleep. He was sick to his stomach on the thought of you getting hurt. He made a promise that he would protect you, not only to you but to himself.

He nearly lost you tonight. And he wasn’t going to let it happen again. He wasn’t going to put you in more danger than he already has.

He’d do anything and everything to keep you safe.

ITS YOUR DECISION:

warden wants you to find your ex, who has ties to the hitman who tried to kill you. if you find him, it’ll tell you whether he or someone else was behind the attack. if you don’t, it’ll only happen again; and the next time elias might not be there to save you.

(let me remind you that y’all have a crazy amount of plot armour)

hope you enjoyed! i’m not even sure if i like this very much but i had the idea about an ex for sooo longgg so i was glad to finally write about it and i hope i incorporated it into the story well?

i made so many drafts for this and hated all of them lol so i just decided to write this and trust that it was good enough 🥹

a/n: yall this is acc so dumb but im tryna be really inclusive and make the reader vague but why am i like worried to offend bald people by writing stuff about the reader’s hair… “He ran his hand through your hair.” “UM☝️BINU I DON’T HAVE HAIR HOW COULD YOU WRITE THAT? 😾”

[probablyoutyappingorsomething]

Summer Camp-C.S- Chapter 1

Warnings- cussing, and skinny dipping (I think that’s it)

Also this is my first fic, lmk what you think, and this is based off of a C.ai bot I talk to so yeah! xoxo- Val💋

I’m not the best teenager, I’ll admit that, but I’m not terrible. Apparently my parents don’t think so though cause they’re the ones sending me to this shitty summer camp anyway, they said it would be a good learning experience, whatever the hell that means. I’m on the bus right now I think we’re about to get off, I see the huge sign that read “Camp Lakeside” yeah hopefully this place has a damn Lake. I grabbed my things and got ready to get off the bus after it came to a complete stop, everyone seemed eager to get off like they’d been here before, or their asses hurt from sitting so long, I know mine does…I shoved myself into the aisle somewhere in the back. After a minute I was the last one off the bus, I took a minute to look around with all my light pink bags in hand. That’s when I saw a guy walking up to me, he was wearing some shorts, his hair looked super fluffy, and his blue eyes made me wanna put on my sunglasses again. “You new here?” he asked with a smug smile on his face that made me wanna slap him (ok maybe I had anger issues too).

“Yeah, and I’m not fucking you if that’s what you want.” I said as I started to walk away to try and find my cabin. “Damn, you rude much?” He asked me as he kept up with my pace, I couldn’t lie he was pretty hot…“Yeah that’s kinda why I’m here in the first place.” I answered as I walked down the dirt trail, to where the girls cabins were. “Sooo, what’s your name?” He asked, this guy was quite the inquisitive one.

“It’s Y/N, you are..?” I asked as I made a turn following the signs along the path. “Names Chris, need help with your bags?” Oh wow another question, surprising. I thought for a minute, I didn’t wanna be a burden but damn some of these bags were heavy. “This one please.” I said as I handed one of the light pink bags to him leaving me a free hand which I used to fix my long light brunette hair. I saw him looking in my peripheral vision, I didn’t mind though, maybe I even liked it- doesn’t matter, my thoughts got interrupted yet again by a question. “So you like- a dancer or something?” he asked as he watched me walk alongside him.

“Uh..no, I like singing though.” I answered, with a small squint on my eyes, the sun was super bright right now, and right in my face. “Oh are you in like choir or something?” he asked, just then I realized how white his teeth were, but I brushed it off. “Nope, I just take voice lessons, I mainly do pop cause I’m an alto and it just fits better.” I answered, with a small smile on my lips. We kept walking up to the girls cabin, “I’m guessing I’ll see you later?” I asked this time as I took the light pink bag from him full of my clothes. “Probably, it’s a small camp after all.” Chris said as he ran a hand through his hair, which was oddly attractive, then started to leave. “See ya.” I called out almost like an impulse, slightly embarrassing myself, I watched as he turned and waved as he kept walking off…damn he was hot.

************************************* I met a few girls, Jennifer, Anastasia and Rose, all very pretty girls and around my age, we all snuck out in the middle of the night to go swimming in the lake, I was wearing a black bikini, hugging my curves and showing my stomach with my hair up in a messy high pony with some strands down.

“It’s hotter than hell out here, I’m about to go skinny dipping.” I joked and the other girls laughed, and Anastasia said “Oh my god Y/N the counselors would literally kick you out if they found out.” I shrugged as I stood up and started undoing my bikini top, throwing it to the side. “Anyone coming with me?” I asked as I took off my bottoms and threw them to the side along with my top, the other girls also stood up and started to undress and jump in, I followed after them.

A couple minutes later we heard guys talking, probably four or five of them, one looked like Chris, but they kept walking and didn’t notice us, this must’ve been a nightly occurrence. “Did they not notice us or did they not care?” I asked as I swam around in the lake a little, the water wasn’t terrible cold for the sun being down.

“They’ll probably come back in a minute, they might wanna talk to you, you’re new and hot, destined to be a man magnet.” Rose answered as we watched the guys turn around and go on the deck where the girls bikinis were, one of the ok-looking ones bent down and started to talk to me.

“Hey you’re pretty nice looking.” He said with a smug smile on his face. “I’m sixteen.” I respond in hopes to get him away, I’m completely naked after all. “Ah, you’re younger than I thought, even better…what’s your name?” He asked, with the same punchable smile on his face.

“None of your business, creep.” I said, I was really uncomfortable with the current situation. “Just go away, Kyler.” Jennifer said from beside me, but this Kyler kid kept going. “Shut the fuck up and go away, I’m not fucking you just cause you haven’t been laid in five months.” I snapped at him. “What did you just say to me?” Kyler asked as his fiends (except Chris) “ooohhhh’d” in the background.

“Why don’t you and your friends turn around so me and my friends can actually get decent, then we can talk.” I said, and everyone seemingly agreed, the guys all walked off the deck and had their backs turned to the girls as we all got dressed, when I was don’t I walked in front of them, my body and hair still wet from the lake. “So you still think I’m a creep?” Kyler asked, “Yeah you saw me naked in a lake then started hitting on me, a little weird don’t ya think?” I fired back almost immediately. “Listen!” He said as he stepped closer and put his hand on my shoulder, making me more uncomfortable in the current situation. “You’re really starting to piss me off, brat.” He said as I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. “You’re really starting to piss me off. No means no idiot.” I said as my white knuckles started to hurt from trying not to punch this guy.

After a long minute of awkward silence the other girls and I started walking back to the cabin, I fell back a little, they were walking so damn fast, next thing I knew there was a hand on my shoulder, I looked up and it was Chris. “I wanna apologize for how that guy was acting, I’m not really his friend but that was really shitty of him.” He said, and I felt some kinda softness in my chest from him apologizing. “Oh thanks, but it’s not your problem..” I said, I’m pretty sure he could see right through me, and my “I’m not flustered at all” act. “So I’ll uh see you tomorrow, Y/N?” Chris asked, his hand still on my shoulder, and matching my walking pace. “Yeah sure, see ya..goodnight.” I said as I kept walking to my cabin, watching as he waved again and walked off to his, just then I knew I had a massive crush on this guy I met…at a Summer Camp…

************************************ Erm. So that’s the end of that chapter lmk if it’s ass or if you have anything that would help me out with the whole writing aspect, DONT WORRY, next chapter things will definitely get escalated, and a little spicy, but nothing huge yet! LYSM-

xoxo- Val💋💋

Tags:

@c0metss

[whumping-valentine]

🦌 Fawn and Hunter - Part 11 🦌

"Fear and Fangs"

Content: Rival Cults, Vampires, Blood Rivers

2,000 words

Hey it's time for part 11! So sorry this took 10,000 years 😭 I hate writing. I don't think this is my best work, but I say that about literally everything I ever write, ever, so it doesn't really mean much. It's admittedly choppy and fast paced but I'll be honest I don't care lol.

This is where the plot really starts kicking off and it turns from just another whump story into something that actually has direction.

But yeah, hope you guys like it, you're all awesome!! 😁

       “Where the Hell are you taking me?” Fawn demanded, glaring at Hunter in discontent as they pulled them through the woods.

       “Can’t you go just one moment without the attitude? You can at least pretend to like me, you know.”

       “Absolutely fucking not. I’m not insane, unlike you.”

       Hunter rolled their eyes, “Well, for your information, I want to go and check something out, and you’re coming with me.”

       “Oh, whoopee.” Fawn cheered, tone dead and monotone. “Sounds so fun.”

       "Just shhh." Hunter shushed.

       "Well maybe I don't wanna shhhhh. I want to know where the Hell we're going! What's so important you're dragging me along to come see?"

       "I was kidnapped by a cult last week and I wanna know what's going on."

       Fawn stopped in their tracks, bewildered, "You were fucking what?!"

       "You heard me."

       "Oh, no, no, no. I wanna know! How did that happen? And why the hell are we trying to go and find a kidnapping cult? And how did you get out? What happened?"

        "I told you to shush. You ask too many questions."

        "Uh, I think asking questions is perfectly acceptable in this scenario! Hey!”

       Hunter ignored Fawn as they kept walking, picking up the pace as Fawn kept trying to get their attention, stumbling through the snow behind them. They made it to a small unkempt road, but you couldn’t tell through all the white layers that coated the ground, as well as the vehicle that was left there.

       Hunter opened the passenger door, making a simple command, "Get in the truck."

       "Wha— where the hell did you get a truck?"

       "Stop asking questions and get inside."

       “Oh, yeah, sure. Nothing more trustful and less suspicious than when your captor tells you to get inside a fucking car.” Fawn said, though still obliged, folding their arms in the passenger seat. “Especially when they’re apparently on the search for some fucking cult. Am I some sacrificial lamb, huh? Is that what this is? You made a deal with them to let you go and that’s why you’re being all secretive. Oh, I’ve got you down to a T!”

       Hunter rolled their eyes, climbing into the driver’s seat. “Yeah, definitely. A sacrificial fawn to appease the gods, or whatever.”

       “Sounds so fun. I bet they’re a bunch of cannibals too, they’ll eat my innards and wear my bones like jewelry.”

       “You have such a morbid mind.” Hunter started the truck.

       “Says the murderer. Jesus, this thing is loud, good luck sneaking up on people with this hunk of junk. I know you don’t want me to ask questions but I just gotta know where you found this.”

       “I found it near a road when I ran away from the cult. I would’ve froze to death without it.”

       “Darn, what a shame.”

       “You say that until you’re left stranded in the middle of the woods. You couldn’t survive without me, don’t deny that.”

       “I ain’t. I’ll give you that one.”

       Hunter slowly drove down the snow-covered back roads, bumping up and down, sliding, and finding it difficult to control.

       “You drive like fucking shit.” Fawn said.

       “I never got my license.”

       “That sounds like a you problem.”

       Hunter sped up, then slammed on the breaks, causing Fawn to fling forward. “Oh wow, looks like you weren’t wearing a seatbelt! Sounds like a you problem, doesn’t it?”

       “Ow! Fuck, okay, fine, I’ll take the fucking point.” They grumbled, sitting back in their seat, buckling, “I’ll shut up.”

       “Took you long enough.” Hunter continued driving. Fawn bit their lip and kept their gaze out the window, folding their arms again. “Besides, the road isn’t in good condition. It’s not my fault.”

       After a few silent minutes, Hunter stopped the truck, and turned it off. The roaring engine quieted, and they were left in silence. “Time to get out.”

       “What? You want to leave the car? The one thing shielding us from danger and cold? You want to leave it?”

       “You said it yourself, it’s too loud to sneak around. We have to go on foot. This was the general area I found them in if I remember correctly. Let’s go.”

       Fawn hopped out of the truck and followed behind Hunter as they stalked off into the woods.

       “You know, I can’t believe you’ve survived so long in the woods on your own.” Fawn whispered, “Sneaking through the woods in the middle of winter, looking for a whole cult with nothing but a shotgun? You’re genuinely insane.”

       “Wow, took you this long to figure that out, did it?”

       “No, you just find new ways to impress me in the worst ways possible.”

       "I'll take that as a compliment."

      "Of course, I'd expect nothing less." They rolled their eyes. Though now that the conversation stopped, they were forced to confront their anxiety.

       Fawn tried their best to stay composed and act nonchalant, but it was hard when they were so jittery. This was crazy, and Hunter was crazy, and everything wasn't right and they just wanted to go home to their own bed and sleep and never leave the house again.

       They were incredibly alert and on edge, so they were easily the one to spot something unusual.

       “There!” Fawn suddenly exclaimed in a whisper, grabbing onto the sleeve of Hunter’s coat as they pointed, huddling to hide behind them. Hunter pulled them both behind a tree, staring off into the distance. Among the white of snow, figures moved in the distance, walking across the horizon.

       Hunter narrowed their eyes, "No, those guys are different."

       "What do you mean? They're clearly a fucking cult. I didn't think they'd look so spot on. That's every single stereotypical movie cult I've ever seen."

       "Yeah, but it's not the same one I saw last week. The one I saw last week wore wolf masks. These guys are plague doctors."

       "Are you suggesting there's some kind of rival cult thing going on?"

       "No, but you are."

       “Well that’s the only thing that makes sense if you insist they’re different. Either they’re the same, or there’s two of them. What other answer is there?”

       "Would you please stop asking me questions that I don't know the fucking answer to? God, I'm just as clueless as you are. I don't fucking know. Let's keep looking." They said, and began to walk the direction they were coming from.

       Hunter's eyes were fixated on the horizon, making sure they were staying out of sight, hidden. Fawn, while following, ventured slightly off the path in the other direction. Hunter didn't notice they left until they frantically tugged on their coat.

       "Shit, Fawn." They were startled, "What is it?"

       "Dude. There's a fucking blood river." Fawn said, voice incredulous.

       "A blood river? And you're calling me insane?"

       "Come look at this. Right now. I'm serious."

       Hunter could hear the fear and amazement in their voice. Fawn grabbed the sleeve of their coat and pulled them off through the trees. “Look!” They said, pointing to the river.

       It wasn’t a small creek, though also not too big. It ran along the outskirts of the woods and an open clearing. The water ws indeed dark red. The two crouched down in the snow next to it.

       “Well, it certainly looks like blood.” Hunter said. Fawn reached out to touch it, before Hunter quickly reached out and grabbed their wrist, “Don’t! You don’t know what this shit is or why it’s red.”

       Fawn twisted their wrist from their grip, “I’m not a fucking child, I can make my own decisions.” Fawn again reached down towards the still river, dripping the tips of their fingers into it. The top layer was thick, and despite the cold of winter, it was warm.

       Fawn pulled their fingers from the river, eyes wide, “Hunter, it’s warm.”

       “What? Don’t fuck with me.”

       “I’m not!”

       Hunter, now immensely curious and fearful themself, reluctantly stuck their fingers into the river, only to immediately pull out at the warm feeling, hand shaking. They wiped their fingers in the snow before standing up, slowly backing away. “That’s fucked.”

       "Yeah, I told you!"

       "Fawn, I— I have a confession to make. You remember when I took you out hunting, and it was all foggy?"

       "Uh, yeah?"

       "Well, I don't know if I was crazy or what, but— but I saw a massive deer skeleton. And I'm talking huge. I'd— I'd never seen anything like it, that's why I was so shaken up. I'm really starting to think it was real. I— I thought it was some kind of statue."

       "So… what? You're saying something paranormal is going on here?"

       "Well it certainly isn't fucking normal, I'll tell you that."

       "Yeah, obviously. Some giant skeleton, two cults in the woods, a fucking blood river and your stupid haunted house. That's not just another Tuesday. Are— are you sure this isn't something we're reading too much into?"

       "There's a fucking blood river, Rudolph, of course I'm fucking sure!"

       "Yeah, yeah, okay. And don't call me that."

       "You used to be so mad at the nickname, is there anything that'll make you happy?"

       "I'd be very happy if you weren't some creepy bitch who kidnapped me."

       "I didn't kidnap you, I just took you into my home and didn't let you leave. It's called being held captive, not kidnapping."

       "Oh, that's such a big difference. Please, enlighten me with more of your knowledge."

       Hunter was about to bite back, when an unexpected voice caused the both of them to jump.

       "What's going on here?" A feminine voice asked. One of the masked plague doctors stood behind them, her arms crossed. Hunter instinctively pointed their gun at her.

       “Woah there, mate, put the gun dow— wait—” She peeked under the mask, "Rudy?"

       "Anaira?" Fawn was incredulous.

       Anaira fully removed her mask, “What— I—" She looked at Hunter and pointed, “I saw you at work last week!”

       "Oh, yeah, I found ‘em!" Hunter said, putting an arm around their shoulders.

       "They didn't find me, they're the one who kidnapped me!" Fawn shoved them off.

       "Held you captive." Hunter corrected. Fawn kicked them in the shin, then ran to hug Anaira.

       "Oh, thank fuck! Get me away from this psychopath!"

       "Oh, okay, so you'll trust the cult lady with the plague doctor mask over me." Hunter said, and asked Anaira. "What the hell is with that, by the way?"

       "Why do I need to answer? You're the one who's apparently been holding Rudy captive."

       Fawn looked up at Anira, and it was the first time they had seen her without a facemask on. They took notice of one tiny detail, “Wait, do you have fangs?”

       She ignored them, “Look, both of you follow me, and I’ll explain everything.”

      She didn't give either of them any time to respond as she quickly took off, forcing them to either stay behind or follow.

       She led them through the snowy woods, though it felt like a race to keep up with her. Her cloak blew through the wind as she effortlessly climbed up icy hills, darted through the trees, and jumped through the snow.

       "Can you please tell us what the hell is going on?" Fawn asked as they tried to keep up, “Why are you out in the middle of the woods wearing plague costumes?”

       "It's not easy out here for anyone, Rudolph." She said, "Not humans, not us. I'm trying to get us out of wolf territory. It wouldn't be good to get caught on their turf, especially not by—"

       "Well, well, well, look who decided to come crawlin' in the wrong neck of the woods." A new voice entered the room, the tone and cadence of an older woman.

       Anaira finished her sentence, "—Ethel."

       Ethel chuckled, “Long time no see, Anaira.”

Taglist: @parasitebunny @whumpy-wyrms @fruitypinapple00 @otterfrost

Fawn and Hunter's bickering this chapter reminds me so much of me and my little brother lol. I'm Hunter and he is Fawn. He won't go a single day without insulting me lol

Sorry about the pacing this part.

Lmk in the comments if you want added or removed !

Thanks for reading !! 💕🦌

[scribeofskyrim]

Middas, 15th of Heartsfire, 4E 201

Drunk Me is a terrible, stupid, no-good bitch.

I thought I’d left myself a cup of water by the bed this morning.

It was more liquor.

Right now, I’m back in bed, trying to use this to focus and make my head stop spinning. I took a second to make myself decent and poke my head over the balcony to order up some breakfast and water for us all. I hope Corpulus or whoever gets here soon.

I only remember bits of last night, but from what I can make out on the last page here it looks like we had one hell of a time! At least Drunk Bronwen did one smart thing - I woke up alone. I do not want to get tangled up with anyone in this town or anywhere else just yet. Even for a night.

-----

Damn. Drunk Me might have done something really stupid, but no one’s said anything, so… No harm, no foul? I noticed a makeup smudge on my face while I was washing up after breakfast that sure as Oblivion didn’t come from me! I have no idea who it came from, though. Oh, well.

Lydia looks tired and a bit worn, but not that bad, all things considered. I know I was telling people that she had earned a night of partying, and the bar just... Went with it! I think she got free drinks the whole night!

She asked if I woke up with another fiance (or fiancee?), and Erandur almost choked on his tea.

Sweet Divines. I’d forgotten! I hope I didn’t get engaged again or worse. Erandur’s a priest of Mara. He can marry people!

Erandur said he didn’t recall officiating any weddings last night. At least, he doesn’t think he did. His memory’s as hazy as mine. Right now he’s finishing up a cup of tea with his hood pulled low over his eyes. He muttered about how he hasn’t woken up like this in well over a decade.

Lydia’s telling him about the last time we got this drunk while we wait for Valdimar to finish cleaning out his helmet. Apparently it got passed around so people could try it on, then used as a communal drinking bowl.

Well, we might not remember much, but at least we had a good time, and I (probably) didn’t get married.

_____

I thought I would start crying again once I finished the main part of the house, but I barely have any energy to write.

I realized something, though. I have to write. Putting my day in here helps me sleep. It’s like setting down a burden I’m carrying in my head. I like it.

Today I need it.

Once we got over our hangovers (more or less), we gathered our things and left Solitude for the Manor. Aside from a few mudcrabs and getting turned around in the mist, getting here the first time was easy.

I built what I could, and finished the entryway before I ran out of logs. So, we trekked our way back over the swamp to the mill just outside of Solitude to buy more.

I’ve never stopped at that mill before, so I didn’t know the route back. We found a creepy ruin on our way over here, but there wasn’t much to it. Just a walled area with an altar-looking table and wall in the middle, with a chest stashed behind it. There was a bit of gold and some armor inside, but that was it. Still - Easy money!

The other thing we found was… Terrible.

We noticed the smoke first, then the smell as we got nearer.

All I could think about was Helgen. I instinctively put my hands up, spells at the ready, and the others pulled their weapons as well. Then... I froze. It wasn’t a spell or anything; I literally couldn’t make myself take a step towards the smoke until the dog barked and snapped me out of it.

We rushed forward, ready to fight, but there was nothing there to fight. Just a house on the edge of the swamp, barely in the treeline, mostly reduced to ruin but still burning. There were scorch marks on the ground all over, and a body next to a wagon out front. It was so burned I couldn’t tell you anything about it other than it had been a person. Inside was no better. There was a burned body on the floor, but I could barely see it through the fire and smoke.

Inside the house, memories from Helgen came back again. The screams and that terrible dragon’s roar – Divines, I hear it now – and the smell of blood and burning right in front of me…

It was too much. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like I would die if I stayed there, so I ran.

I bolted through the swamp, straight for here. I have no idea how I knew where to go, but I got here in minutes, it felt like, and fell to my knees in the clearing in front of the house.

The dog got to me first, and I just hugged him while I broke down.

When the others got to me, they helped me up and got me inside.

There’s still not much in there, but I had built a fire pit to cook at, so Valdimar started work on some soup while Lydia and Erandur got me settled on a sabercat pelt they put on the floor. They sat on either side of me and Lydia started asking questions, but Erandur stopped her. He simply held my hand and said that they were here for me, and that I was safe.

It’s been a long time since anyone’s said anything like that to me, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to start crying again right here at the dining room table.

Of course, I started crying even harder then, but I almost stopped from shock because Lydia hugged me! She gave me a big, tight hug and said that it was healthy to cry. Even if I was the Dragonborn, a thane, and the “Hero of Helgen.”

That’s what stopped me.

I asked her what in Oblivion she meant by that, and she said that’s what they called me at Dragonsreach before they learned I was the Dragonborn. The Jarl had sent me with Irileth because I had experience fighting the dragon at Helgen. I explained that I never told him that, I just told him I was there and I saw it. When the dragon attacked the western watchtower and he asked me for help, I didn’t have time to argue. I just went and did it!

Valdimar brought us all some bowls of potato soup and asked why would the Jarl think I’d fought a dragon? I was about to ask the same thing, but then I remembered an important detail.

I had been wearing Imperial armor I’d looted in Helgen. The Jarl probably thought I was stationed there, and had fought with them when the dragon attacked. Erandur said that made sense. An Imperial woman with a Cyrodiilan accent, wearing Imperial armor, coming from a Legion outpost – He’d think the same thing.

Then Lydia asked the big question. The one I’d been able to dodge for almost a month.

If I wasn’t with the Imperial Legion, what was I doing there?

So, I took a big drink of the water Valdimar offered me, and I told them most of it. I started with being captured trying to cross the border, and told them about meeting Ralof and Ulfric Stormcloak in the back of the cart on the way to Helgen. I told them how the Legion decided to execute me, even though they’d just picked me up in the woods and I hadn’t done anything wrong.

That got a round of particularly nasty curses from them. Erandur said a few things that surprised even me!

I told them about the dragon and a bit about my escape, but when my hands started to shake so much the spoon was rattling in my bowl, Erandur patted me on the back and said that was enough. Valdimar took the bowl and Erandur took my hand again, and reminded me that I’m safe. Lydia started to ask why I was trying to sneak into Skyrim, but Erandur stopped her.

She was clearly not happy about being shushed, but Valdimar loudly suggested that he and her go out and patrol the perimeter. He said he wanted to make sure there were no wolf dens or spider nests nearby. She agreed before he could haul her out of there (I know he would) but I caught her mouthing something to Erandur before she left.

He said she told him to take care of me.

As soon as we could tell they were out of earshot, I apologized. I don’t know what happened. He shrugged and told me that it was all right. He’d seen it before, dozens of times.

We sat in silence for a bit, and I don’t know why, but I told him what happened in the Capitol. He just listened, and nodded as I talked. I mean, it’s not a long story, and when I was done he agreed that I did the right thing. He said I was just defending my friend, and honest men don’t keep daggers up their sleeves. He would know; he pulled back his sleeve and showed me an old scar on the underside of his left forearm.

He’d been careless sheathing his blade.

He asked if I was feeling any better, and I was, mostly. He told me how he had some training about getting through fits like mine when he became a priest of Mara. He offered to teach me how to meditate or do some special breathing to calm my nerves, but I didn’t want to. I can’t sit still long enough, and I was starting to get antsy.

Erandur suggested doing something repetitive and simple. He said a lot of priests take up handcrafts or gardening if they can’t meditate. I know I need a lot of nails, so we went outside and I hammered out nails until I felt better. He talked a bit about his time at the Bard’s college, and mentioned he got high marks for memorization. I said I figured as much, given his performance last night!

I would pay a thousand Septims for a painting of his face at that moment. He didn’t remember anything about the bet with the students, (I couldn’t remember either, I just read what I wrote from last night!) but when I said he re-enacted “a certain play” for all of us he cringed and tried to disappear into his hood! He did his nervous laugh and was trying to explain his actions away when Lydia walked over and commented that I looked like I was doing better.

She’d come over to help me with the building, and we worked on the main house while Erandur wandered off to the water’s edge to where Valdimar was standing with the dog. Lydia mentioned that there was a pack of horkers out that way, and that she’d found some iron ore and stone I could quarry if I needed it. They’d also spotted a ruin not too far off.

That’s good to know, and soon enough, we finished the main building! We got some beds put together, along with a dining table, too.

It’s nice to eat at a table with enough room for all of us. I’m just writing here while the others clean up. It was a long day, and I worked later than I meant to, but I needed to do something with myself, or else I know I’d feel worse.

I’ll have to tell Lydia and Valdimar why I came to Skyrim some day, but at least I was able to tell Erandur. I did tell the dog, but it’s not the same.

Time for sleep. I’m going to go crawl into my soft, newly-built bed, in my second new house.

[nostalgiachan]

Baldurian Finger Trap

Second Prompt: One of the companions has been gone from camp for a very long time

Act Three Spoiler Warning

---

“Darling, it’s Minsc,” Astarion sighed, his hand gently landing on Vier’s shoulder. “That lummox would get lost on a straight path, I’m certain. And lest we forget, he’s a grand world-saving hero…twice over, yes? So any poor soul dumb enough to try to jump him on his little outing will get the quite literal spanking of a lifetime.”

Vier reached a hand up to meet Astarion’s. In any other circumstance, she would have agreed with him. But in the last tenday or so, their camp had been met with one attempted abduction, one successful abduction, and multiple visits from a deviless who she was sure would look for any excuse to cause them problems. The party had relocated to a room in the Elfsong Tavern in hopes that it would prove a slightly more defensible location than a wide-open alleyway in the slums by the docks, but that did little to put Vier’s mind at ease. On top of all that, the last time Minsc ‘went missing’, he’d gotten a worm jammed in his skull, and before that, turned into a statue. She trusted him to take care of himself, but there was no denying the man’s a lightning rod of misfortune.

It had been a day since Minsc had headed out into the Lower City on some sort of errand. About the only person who knew where he was headed was Jaheira, who’d lightly scoffed when asked. “Why does everyone seem to think me the man’s keeper now?” she’d replied when Vier asked about him. “He’d said something about taking Boo to the marketplace. Something ‘urgent’, apparently.” She did admit that it shouldn’t have taken him this long to come back from market, and he wasn’t exactly the type to go carousing through the streets and accidentally fall asleep in an alley somewhere.

Vier wasn’t prone to assuming the worst, but in this case, she could no longer take chances. “I know,” she answered Astarion as she ran a thumb over his hand, “but I’d be much more at ease if I knew for certain. I’ll go out to look for him by myself. No sense dragging anyone else along just to soothe my paranoia.”

“Well, I’d be remiss if I let you go looking on your own,” Astarion replied with faux exasperation. “Two sets of eyes will get the job done faster, after all. I do hope you appreciate this.”

“You know I always do, dear.”

. . .

If there was anywhere Vier had expected to ultimately find the Mad Rasheman, it was not facing a stone wall just off the marketplace, two of his fingers jammed in a tiny hole. He looked deep in concentration, attempting to wiggle his hands together, apart, this way and that. He didn’t seem to notice Vier and Astarion as they approached him. The startled roar that escaped the man as Vier spoke up was one for the ages.

“Friends!” he cheered at last when he realized who was speaking to him. “Hurrah for you, that you have finally come to free Minsc and Boo from this dire situation!”

Vier couldn’t keep her clear befuddlement from her face. “What, erm…’dire situation’ is this, precisely?” she asked.

“To put simply,” Minsc began in earnest, “I am stuck. You see, Boo wished for me to take him on a trip to market. He’d heard word someone would be selling a foreign nut he’s grown quite fond of, and he would not stop chewing at my bootstrings until I agreed to buy some for him. Oh, you should have seen his joy as he stuffed his chubby cheeks!”

The mountain of a man practically glowed for a moment as he recalled the sight, but he quickly returned to himself. “But for a split second, I turned my eyes from Boo, that I might pay for his meal, and when I looked back, he had vanished! I cried out for him, looked everywhere I could, but I couldn’t see the tiniest hint of his fuzzy self anywhere!”

For a moment, Vier found herself caught between wanting Minsc to cut to the chase and wanting to listen patiently, deeply curious as to how all of that led to all of this. Her curiosity won out in the end.

“I nearly tore the marketplace apart in my search,” he continued, “but then, I heard it! The cry of a hamster in deep distress! I followed the noise, and came upon this hole in the wall here - and trapped deep inside was Boo! I wondered if perhaps he had developed a nut-induced teleportation ability, but Boo was quick to explain what had happened. As I was paying for the nuts, a young child in the market had mistaken Boo for an escaped pet of hers, and snatched him away! She’d made it quite some distance before realizing he was not, in fact, her beloved Tummytuft, and released him promptly on the other side of this wall.”

“Boo took to his tiny feet as quickly as he could, doing his best to return to me, but he made a fatal mistake. He was feeling far too sluggish to run around the wall, so attempted to take a shortcut through this hole here. But he had gorged himself on far too many nuts, and had grown too bloated to make it through. Thus, when Minsc came upon him, there was only one thing to do! I simply had to reach right in and get him out! But, it seems, my fingers are far too large, and became stuck between Boo’s girth and the stone as surely as if he was covered in sticky glue! And thus, here we are.”

There was hardly a second of silence between them before Astarion could no longer hold back his laughter. “What a wonderfully convoluted predicament,” he snorted. “You’ve been stuck with your fingers in this hole for an entire day?! Absolutely incredible!”

Vier, at least, made the attempt to be nice about it. “I assume you called out for help. Did no one answer?”

Minsc replied, “I most certainly did! And most saw fit to pass me by, notably averting their gazes. The one or two brave souls who did lend a hand, however, had little success in freeing us. In fact, as time has gone on, it seems to have become even harder to make any sort of progress. My fingers may have begun to swell in there, I fear.”

“Oh dear, alright,” Vier sighed, and she swung her supply bag off of back, setting it on the ground and rifling through to produce a brown bottle. “Fortunately, I tend to keep a bit of grease on hand for just such an occasion. Should be able to get you out with just a bit of finesse.” She dipped a small wooden applicator into the grease as she approached the stone wall. “Pardon me, Mr. Boo,” she attempted to speak into small gap between Minsc’s fingers. “You may wish to hold your breath a moment. Don’t want you swallowing any of this. Won’t kill you, but it won’t be pleasant.”

After about half an hour of wiggling, liberal applications of grease, and plenty of moral support from Astarion (read: laughter), Minsc and Boo were finally freed from their stony prison. Boo looked like he’d been through the first layer of the hells, his fur matted with finger sweat and grease, a look of pure frazzlement on his furry little face - or at least as much of one as a hamster could show. He’d be headed straight to a warm bath as soon as they got back to the Elfsong, and Minsc would be getting a healthy dose of ice against his fingers to get the swelling down.

As they tromped their way back to the inn, Vier breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, she’d been right about Minsc being in trouble, but in light of everything they’d faced up until now…well, this was just the low-stakes sort of adventure they needed.

[rockingrobin69]

some-day-wip-snip

Thank you for tagging me, @mintawasalreadytaken and @orange-peony! I’m back to working on my housemates SEVERE PINING fic, brimming with so much excitement I literally cannot bear it, so, here’s a snip! Featuring: shenanigans, baking, and a tiny, mysterious dog-shaped item.

One night Harry came back late, terrible week, got stuck at the office in a useless meeting till his eyes nearly popped out. Took the bus home with his face scrunched, the beginning of a headache simmering behind his eyebrows, miserable and tired and utterly depressed to think that tomorrow would be the same, and the day after, and the day after it.

Walked in the kitchen and had to rub his eyes. Rubbed them again for good measure. The image didn’t change; all the bowls he owned stacked one on top of the other on every available surface, counter caked with flour, fingerprints in butter on all the cupboards, and in the dead centre, Malfoy, wearing an apron and his slanted, weird smile.

“Harry!” like this was the most normal thing in the universe. “You’re back! We thought you might never return. I set out to make my grandmother’s fabled biscuits, but, alas, as you can tell, the endeavour’s not been entirely successful. Yet.”

Too many questions and not enough air. The nearly-headache swirled in blacks and golds behind his eyelids. “Malfoy,” trying to breathe it out, “what… who’s we?”

“Hmm?”

“You said we were worried. Who’s here? Is it Ginny?” because he’s going to bloody—

“Oh! No, Ginevra is out of town, has a match tomorrow. I meant me and Crumpet.” He picked up something small and silvery and waved it about, weird smile trickling slowly into something else, unsure. “I named him Crumpet. Hope you don’t mind.”

Harry stared and stared and still got nothing. “Is that… what is that?”

“I think they’re for serviettes,” Malfoy presented the offending object on a flour-covered palm; a tiny, dog-shaped… thing. “Possibly cutlery. There’s a set of six in the bottom drawer, I was looking for a sieve. Is that okay?”

Must have seen something in Harry’s face, because he came closer.

Harry choked on nothing. “Didn’t even know we had them. Must’ve been my parents’. Or Sirius’s, maybe. I have a lot of crap all around that I never really get to… erm.”

Malfoy’s hand did a funny little dance, like it wanted to touch him, then remembered it was covered in butter and goo. Ended up scratching his nose, leaving a fine smudge behind.

“I shouldn’t be sneaking around, using your things. I can get my own, should get my own utensils.”

“Don’t be daft,” Harry rolled his eyes, tried to get this silly fizzing in his belly to stop. “You can use anything that’s in here. I wouldn’t even know we had them if you didn’t… so that’s Crumpet, then? Did you name them all?”

Malfoy’s bottom lip was between his teeth, one pierced eyebrow hiked up. “No, not yet. We had some serious business to attend to first, Crumpet and I. The third batch is actually meant to be ready soon, so why don’t you grab a shower and come back for some—hopefully, biscuits? Worst case, Asda’s own?”

He laughed, couldn’t help it. “Third batch?”

“Ah,” did Malfoy just wink? “Such the detective, Mr. Potter. The first batch we won’t even mention, the consistency was the single most disgusting thing I’ve seen, horrifying to think I made it with my own two hands. Apparently Nana forgot to mention some pretty crucial details when relaying the recipe—that, or the ever simpler answer, my mother is a cunt.”

“Oh.” Malfoy’s expression sharpened around the edges, devilish and handsome, and he ran a floury hand through his hair.

“Then came the second batch. Did you know, Harry, that baking requires absolute precision? And if, say, one was to go, ‘ah, fuck it’, then baking soda can become quite the vindictive bitch?”

Harry tapped the corners of his grin. “And the flour explosion? What happened there?”

“That,” Malfoy tutted, “is the result of some poor training on my part, I’m afraid. You see, Crumpet wasn’t quite ready for all the tricks—”

“You’re not seriously going to blame a three-inch placeholder for this, are you?”

“Aha!” finger pointing up in victory. “I knew you’d know what these are! Placeholders, then. How fancy. We shall have to throw a feast to display them.”

Laughing, laughing, what else could he do, rubbing the wispy remains of a headache from his forehead. “You’re an idiot. And you’re going to clean this, Malfoy, or so help me.”

“Of course, of course,” in a tone that suggested he had absolutely no intention to, not a chance. “They are good, though. The biscuits. In theory. Mother would always make them when she knew I’d—used them as bribes, probably, to be honest. But I thought, might be nice, seeing as your week is so disgustingly busy. It’s the only one of her recipes I remember. And poorly, at that.”

Harry’s eyes were still tingling, but he could see the look on Malfoy’s face. Recognised the feeling, he thought. This weird drop in your belly when you realise how very lost something is to you. Finding something you loved, irretrievable.

“Hey. They better be good. I mean it, Malfoy. Crumpet and I will be very disappointed in anything less.”

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re now in cahoots with my three-inch placeholder pet.”

“Pretty sure Crumpet’s still my three-inch placeholder pet, ta very much.”

He gave a little bow, then came closer. “My apologies for the disrespect, Mr. Potter. Master? Sir Potter. Please accept this as token of my most genuine regret.” When he unclenched his hand, there was only a second or two to realise what was happening and try to escape. Harry didn’t.

Ended up with his face full of flour, pinched from the counter. “Malfoy!” indignant and shaky on laughter, “you fucking bastard, come back here—”

Chased him around the kitchen, like children, like idiots, tackled him behind the table to smear his face full of—caster sugar, flour, whatever he could find, and Malfoy was squirming in his hands, roaring with laughter, fighting tooth and nail to push Harry back, and when that didn’t work, to lick him away (“UGH!”), laughing, laughing, laughing.

They only let up when the timer went off. Both disgusting, breathless, and Harry was still panting when Malfoy pushed him out to the corridor, yelled at him to take a shower. Rushed back down to find the kitchen still a mess, and two cups of tea, and a trayful of cooling biscuits.

Malfoy snuck a tub of them in his work bag the next day. They really were quite good.

If you got all the way here, kudos to you, and you are now IT! Share a snip with us, will you? And tag me!!

[monaisme]

Sicktember: Day 8

#8- “The closest doctor is probably hours away from here!”

“Dammit!” Tim shouted at the top of his lungs as he paced the end of the gravel driveway. “Of all the stupid, idiotic things I could do...” He ran his blood stained hands through his too long hair. “SHIT!”

Jason couldn’t blame Tim for his frustration. Yeah, getting their weekends mixed up and spending a couple of unnecessary hours trapped in a car with their least favourite persons without any sort of reprieve sucked. But what really sucked was Tim managing to gash the back of his calf while trying to jump the old, padlocked farm gate blocking access to the Kent’s driveway while they were away. 

“Look,” Jason continued rifling through the copious supplies in the trunk of the car, “you can shout all you want, Replacement, but it’ll get you exactly nowhere. It was a mistake. I get it. And now we’re here. Your pacing like a madman, however,” he looked over his shoulder at the teenager, “is gonna keep pulling the wound open which means the bleeding won’t stop, and you- oh, spleenless wonder—will most likely pass out from eventual blood loss, develop an infection, and die.”

Tim stormed over, “And you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” he accused.

Jason just chuckled bitterly as he went about his search, “Kid, if it would keep you quiet while I hunt for the first aid kit, then I’m all for it.”

“Funny.” Tim snarked back as he limped his way over to the vehicle.  He hissed as he plunked himself down in the passenger seat with his legs dangling out of the car then went on. “I don’t see why you’re still digging in the trunk, though. Just grab a blanket so I don’t bleed all over your interior and we can make our way to a hospital or some doctor’s office.”

“Pfft. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?” Jason reached further into the trunk then, with a grunt, pulled the first aid kit from its hiding spot. “We’re literally in a town called Smallville, dumbass. I imagine the closest doctor is probably hours away from here!”

Tim thought for a few seconds, then blinked as he looked down at his leg, then over to Jason as he slammed the trunk closed. “Unless I’ve hit my head, too, I’m pretty sure we’d be able to see Metropolis in the distance if we got somewhere high enough... and we sure as hell made enough of an effort to drive around it while we drove here for you to know that, so try again.”

Jason just scowled. “You’re not so great at pickin’ up cues, are you?” And then thrust the kit into Tim’s hands. “Apparently not! I said ‘I imagine!’ Now zip it! I want to get this done and we can make our way home without you lookin’ like a damned crime scene victim, or having B think I tried to kill you again. Besides—” And Jason glowered at this, “you know that Superman doesn’t like us in Metropolis proper, so you can’t be shocked that I’m tryin’ to keep us off his radar.” Jason threw open the back passenger door and started digging aggressively again. “Geez, he barely tolerates us in Smallville, right now!”

Tim sighed. He knew that, and knew exactly how touchy Jason was about the whole thing, so he let it drop. And he also knew that Jason kept his cars stocked with just about anything a crime lord could need in an emergency, be it for an innocent bystander or criminal alike, not that he could keep track of any of it for the life of him. With the blanket sitting there in the back, right on top of what looked like an AED, well, Tim was losing patience and couldn’t help himself. Tim spoke up, “You know, if you would just let me—”

Jason cut him off, “For cryin’ out loud, Timothy!” he shouted, intentionally using a name he knew triggered Drake more than any ‘Replacement’ jab ever would, and violently slapped an open hand against the frame of the car door, “How’s about if you would just shut up for five fuckin’ minutes!”

Tim gasped audibly as he jumped in response, but at least he’d finally shut up.

And there was no way Jason was going to complain about the silence, so he shifted a couple of his heavier duffle bags, tracking down the stash of water bottles he normally kept for emergencies hiding underneath. “Finally!” He struggled a little to tear through the plastic, but eventually got through and grabbed three bottles with one hand, straightened, then slammed the back car door. “At least now I can rinse you off a bit before we disinfect this bad boy.”

Jason barely caught it—wasn’t even sure he’d actually seen it, but—had Tim flinched and the door closed shut?

“Replacement?”

Wide eyed and pale faced, Tim responded immediately. “Yes, sir?” then blanched even further when he caught himself, “Sorry. I meant—I mean- Jason.”

He almost joked about liking the sound of ‘sir,’ hoping to shake off whatever this new heaviness was that had  settled over them, but one look at the kid and Jason knew better, “Uh, Tim?” He dropped the water bottles onto the gravel beside him as he crouched down to assess. “Are you okay?”

Tim blinked, cleared his throat, opened his mouth to answer, but said nothing... could say nothing.

 Jason frowned. “Hey? You’re lookin’ a little—” like those kids he’d find huddled behind a dumpster tryin’ to hide from their parent before they could get them again—like one of the kids Red Hood would help- protect- avenge. How caught up in his pit rage had he been that Jason not seen it before? His stomach churned at the realization. “Pale.” He finished his sentence as he groped blindly for one of the bottles, afraid to take his eyes off of Tim. His fingers brushed against plastic. Thank goodness. “Here, drink this.” He cracked the bottle top and then handed it over with one hand as he took the kit from Tim’s hands with his other. “Then we’ll see if we can get this cleaned and wrapped and us on the road quick enough that Alfie can get you some of those ass-kickin’ antibiotics of yours.” Jason tentatively patted Tim’s leg and smiled awkwardly. “It would suck if something actually happened, huh?”

Jason had hoped that the physical contact would jolt Tim back into the here and now, but no luck.

Tim’s brow furrowed as he got caught up in his head. He needed to get a better grip on things, not be the weak little shit- disappointment- burden that still froze when Dad raised his voice... or silenced his. 

“Is that alright with you, Tim?” Jason lowered the first aid kid down to the ground beside him.

Something was wrong with Tim.

... and if the others realized...

“Tim?”

... he’d lose everything that made Tim, well, Tim...

“fuck.”

... he’d. be. nothing.  

Hoping he was wrong, Jason resorted to snapping his fingers in Tim’s face. “Come on, Tim. Give me a sign that you’re okay.”

And in a snap, Tim was gone.

He’d only been joking about him bleeding out, but with Tim now nonresponsive, Jason couldn’t help but glance around and make sure he actually wasn’t—but no. There were no unnervingly large pools of blood staining the Kent property as far as he could tell, though the leg wound definitely needed tending.

Could this be a seizure?

Jason tugged the water bottle out of Tim’s grasp.

Tim sat stone still.

What the hell had gone wrong? A part of him wanted to say Superman be damned and bundle Tim off to a Metropolis ER, but none of this was sitting right. This was way too far out of Jason’s wheelhouse, and he knew it. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help.

Dammit.

In a flash, his cell phone was out of his pocket and Jason was tapping on the first contact he came across.

It only rang once before the call was picked up, “Who are you and how did you get brother’s phone?”

“Stop it, Dick—”

“What you can’t be surprised! You never call, you don’t write—”

“Dick, please—”

“I’d almost think—”

“Something’s wrong with Tim! Does he have a seizure disorder? Anything that would make him blank screen?”

Playfulness went out the window. “What happened?”

A small part of Jason had expected, “What did you do to him?” but they’d moved beyond that—all of them had. Thank goodness.

“He cut his leg on some wire, and I think I yelled, and now he’s blanked out,” Jason rushed out.

Dick thought for a second. “Wait a sec? You THINK? you yelled at him? I’m gonna need you to be specific here, Jay—” he was starting to sound a little more than concerned.

“Okay. I may have definitely yelled at him.” His stomach sank.

“Jay—”

Now he heard the anticipated disappointed. “Look, it’s done, and I can’t exactly undo it now so here we are.”

Dick exhaled loudly enough to be heard over the phone.

“And I’m guessin’ this means I’ve totally fucked up?”

Dick didn’t say anything.

“Got it. It’s for the kid to say and no one else.” Jason ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “Does this jive with what you’re thinkin’?”

Another sigh, “Yeah.”

And all of the pieces fell together. “So I’m dealin’ a dissociative episode?” Thank goodness B had insisted on them all taking comprehensive field medic training—not that the mental aspect was as cut and dry as something like the still not dealt with wound on Tim’s leg.

“I am neither confirming nor denying anything.”

It was Jason’s turn to sigh. “Is there anything you can actually tell me?”

Dick was silent for a second, then offered, “You may want to have a plastic bag ready.”

Jason dropped his head in defeat. “He’s a puker. Perfect.”

“No.” Dick snapped. “He’s a kid with a shitty history, just like the rest of us, and we all cope differently. Don’t be an ass to him, Jay. I’m serious.”

Properly chastised, he simply replied, “I won’t,” and disconnected the call.

Jason had work to do. Without a word, he stood up, glanced into the backseat of the car, and stepped over the forgotten first aid kid and water bottles to the back passenger door again. This time, he knew where he needed to go, and had the handful of bags in his hands in mere moments before heading straight back to his place in front of Tim.

With a flourish, Jason snapped two of the bags open and doubled them up, then placed them in the footwell to the side. “Hang on, kid.” Jason muttered as he shifted back to the first aid kid at his side. “I know you’re in there... and I’m so sorry.”

And he really was.

He dug through the once organized first aid kit for the—“Got it!” The cold pack was in Jason hands in a flash, anything around it now detritus as it flew to the ground in his haste. A twist and squeeze, then a little shake were all it took to activate it. Some minor, but gentle manoeuvring of Tim’s hands had him seated with them resting upon the icy gel pack on his lap.

Jason rocked back on his heels once it was done.

Now, all he had to do was wait... well, that was a lie. Jason needed to be a little more proactive than that.

He owed Tim that.

“Hey, Tim. You’re okay,” Jason whispered encouragement as he softly pressed his own hands onto Tim’s to ensure solid contact with the cold. “You may not believe it, but you’re safe.” He repeated this like a mantra, over and over while taking deep, exaggerated breaths. “You’re safe. You’re okay.”

It took only minutes—and forever, if you asked Jason—but Tim shifted ever so slightly in his seat.

Jason perked up at the movement, but still spoke in his hushed tone. “That’s it, buddy. You’ve got this.”

Inhale—

Exhale—

Tim blinked.

“There you are. Good job.”

Why was Jason—?       

“You’re okay. Nice and easy. Just breathe.”

What? Tim looked down. Where had the ice pack come from?

“Hey, Tim?” Jason edged a little closer,  “Are you with me?”

 “I’m sorry?” Tim apologized weakly.

“No apologies necessary. Just keep breathing.”

“I must’ve zoned out for a second?”

 Jason crooked his head, assessed, then smiled a knowing smile. “Yeah, I noticed.”

Things felt a disjointed. “Did I hurt my wrists?” Tim raised his hand up before him cautiously.

And even more gently, Jason pressed Tim’s hands back down onto the cold pack. “You’re fine...” Jason trailed off and then continued. “Well, we still have to take care of that leg, but only when you’re ready, okay?”

Tim took his first deep breath and closed his eyes. “Okay.”  

Jason watched and waited.

It didn’t take long for Tim’s breathing to pick up.

“Tim?”

“I’m okay.”

Jason was not convinced.

Even in the remnants of his haze, Tim knew that he needed to pull it together. “I’m okay.”

“Have some water.” Jason was pushing a bottle at Tim that he may or may not have had a faint recollection of holding earlier?

Tim shook his head, ‘no.’ “If I do I’m gonna—”

Sure that this had nothing to do with drinking the water, Jason reached over the grab the plastic bags. “You’re okay, remember?”

Tim huffed a laugh at the bags as they came into view, “Are you trying to convince me?”

Jason laughed softly, too. “Nah, I think we both know where this is going.”

Tim whimpered and doubled over, dropping the water bottle to the ground.

“You’re okay,” Jason shifted, simply so he could rub Tim’s back in comfort. “I’ve gotcha, buddy.”

Tim grabbed the bag, “Why?” Tim whispered as he prepared for what came next.

“Shhh, just keep breathin,’ Tim.” Jason soothed, “I’m workin’ on pickin’ up the cues.”

[im-no-jedi]

OMG I almost forgot to write down my dream from last night haha

featuring appearances from @jam-n-ham and @knight-tyme because they’re my freaking sisters and all that

putting it under a cut cause this is REALLY detailed 😂

so I was on vacation with my family at Disney World (which I often have dreams about), and we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge (like we always do). except unlike the real hotel, which keeps the wild animals FAR away from the buildings, our room was RIGHT up against the fake savanna, so the animals would literally come up to our windows. we even had a fenced off “yard” that we could walk out to and see the animals if we wanted. the dream started on the day we were supposed to go home though, so we were in the process of packing up.

however, it wasn’t just my family who was on this trip. for whatever reason, our long deceased dog was with us (I often have dreams about him, but never us taking him to Florida with us LOL). he ironically was fine whenever we let him out into the yard, so long as there weren’t any animals nearby at the time. we also had a bunch of young kids with us, who I think were supposed to be friends of my bro and little sis (who had de-aged into their 10-12 year old selves)?? we had a REALLY big hotel room apparently LOL. oh, and best of all… Hunter and Crosshair were there too. not any of the others, just the two of them. now, I’ve had dreams with just Hunter in them before as he’s been my go-to dream boyfriend for a while now. but the fact that Crosshair was there too was unusual. I would’ve figured maybe Echo and/or Omega would be there, but nope, it was Crosshair.

anyway, like I said, it was the last day of our trip, and everyone was packing up. I was in the middle of doing my makeup when I saw that there was a family of giraffes near one of the windows. I got really excited and called my dad over so we could take pictures of them. then I noticed something off to the side of the window, staring at us. it was a cheetah. literally just sitting next to the window being a creep and watching me and my dad photograph these giraffes. my dad said it was weird that the cheetah wasn’t chasing the giraffes, but to not worry about it (btw they don’t have cheetahs at the real hotel, only on the safari ride, far away from other animals LOL).

as dad and I are photographing the giraffes, Ham comes by to let the dog out to go to the bathroom. we tell her there are giraffes outside, so he probably shouldn’t go out, but she said he wouldn’t bark at the giraffes, so it was fine. and yeah, he was ok with the giraffes.

however.

we forgot about the cheetah.

the cheetah comes prowling out from its hiding place and starts walking around in plain sight. our dog sees a giant kitty and starts barking at it, to no surprise. now remember, this entire little yard attached to our room is fenced off, honestly more like a giant cage, with two layers of wire blocking us from the animals. even the cheetah couldn’t get through if it tried to. but our dog, our sweet anxious dog who only liked to chase squirrels and possums, somehow found a weak spot in the fence and managed to climb through it and into the savanna.

we all FREAKED OUT.

Ham was screaming at the dog to come back, several of the kids started crying, and my mom immediately called the front desk to let them know what happened. Hunter legit was ready to run out and catch the dog himself, but I stopped him.

in all this chaos, we failed to overlook something. if the dog was able to get out… then that meant other things could get IN.

sure enough, in her panicked state, Ham had left the back door open, with that break in the fence now larger than it was before. our dog was nowhere in sight… but large kitty growls could be heard from down the hall.

without hesitation, both Hunter and Crosshair ran off to go catch the cheetah while the rest of us hung back to protect the kids. we saw them chase the cheetah around for a bit before running back into the hall again. Hunter eventually came back and said he’d somehow lost track of it and figured it might’ve run back outside. then I asked him where Crosshair was, and he said that he thought Crosshair was right behind him the whole time…

then suddenly Crosshair comes out from the hallway, slowly, and with a malicious look on his face. his eyes suddenly turned slitted, and his mouth opened to reveal sharp teeth. he let out a low, feline growl.

he’s somehow gotten POSSESSED by the cheetah????

Crosshair quickly started chasing some of the kids around the room, on all fours like a cheetah. he lunged at me at one point, but Hunter was able to get him off me before he bit me. Hunter tells me and my family to get the kids to safety while he tries to wrangle Crosshair. Ham and I took the kids into one of the large rooms and shut the door so they can stay safe (my parents stay with them too).

then I went back to the two boys cause I wanna see what’s happening, but Ham stayed by the door where everyone else is. I return just in time to see Hunter wrestling with Crosshair (kinda similar to what happened on Kamino LOL). Hunter kicks Crosshair off of him, and Crosshair growls before lunging at Hunter again, but Hunter punches Cross hard enough that the cheetah gets completely knocked out of him, anime style. the defeated cheetah then humbly ran out back to the savanna again, while Crosshair was left on the floor in a sad, guilty state. he was pretty depressed for the rest of the time after that, distancing himself from everyone. a few of the kids comforted him later, saying it wasn’t his fault, and I about cried 🥺

the dream ended with several of us getting in our car to go look for our dog. we drove around for a bit to discover that several other dogs had gotten loose too, which was weird. we eventually found our dog running across the road, and Hunter offered to go catch him. but little sis (who is only about 10 at this time) said she wanted to do it and ran out of the car before anyone could stop her. I kid you not, this binch squatted down and stalked our dog exactly like Hunter would’ve; he and I just looked at each other like 😒 (although I could tell he was proud he rubbed off on her like that haha). once little sis carried our dog back into the car, the dream ended.

y’all I’ll never be able to look at Animal Kingdom Lodge the same way again ROFL

[ripplestitchskein]

I couldn’t fit this in the tags easily so sorry for adding on: You are absolutely correct. In this episode we have Blitz yelling “I love her” about his daughter very vocally as well which contrasts with how Stolas approaches his daughter, very worried and demonstrative about his love but not vocal. Even in his description of what he wants in Apology Tour Stolas never says love. I want someone to want me, to hold me and do all the physical demonstrations of love, to show me they love me by chasing after me before I get on a train but I don’t think he actually says “love”. He never says “I want someone to tell me they love me”. Stolas is all about image, not in that he cares about his own necessarily, though he does feel shame he destroyed the picture of a happy family he was trying to project, but he very much focuses on Blitz’s outward behavior in pictures and the framed mirrors. He shows people his love because I think he struggles saying it. He’s never heard it, A Goetia does not express emotions, and Stolas has obviously always struggled with this aspect of his upbringing, not verbally but physically. He gets over excited and expressive and has been pushed down and told to repress it every time.

I think this goes back to what I was saying in my Ozzie’s meta. Blitz has had people, apparently many people, tell him they love him. So he has no issue saying the word out loud because it’s just a word to him, he has an issue believing in it and believing HIS love will be reciprocated when he does say it and means it. Stolas even points out that he showed everyone how much he likes Blitz and he was very vocal and showy about it the whole time. But the last time Blitz tried to verbalize it himself he blew up his life quite literally. And while Stolas is very demonstrative he never actually says it.

Stolas believes in it so much but I don’t think anyone has ever said it to him. Maybe not even Octavia, especially if she wasn’t raised to hear it from anyone either. But he shows it and he’s very open about it while still skirting around it. And Apology Tour showed that Blitz doesn’t need a declaration of love, he’s gotten them and ran from them, Blitz needs to be able to say it and declare it himself.

It’s one of those things that I love about this ship that they have complimentary issues and they manifested and are expressed in different ways. What they are each learning through their development feeds into what the other needs. Stolas needs people to say it and demonstrate it to know it’s okay and allowed and Blitz needs to say it and show it to stop pushing people away.

Blitz and Stolas’s issues are very much reflected in their daughters which this episode really highlighted. Octavia is even visually paralleled with Blitz. The calendar in Seeing Stars is one example, she doodles on hers and circles it just like Blitz does. I have others examples of this but I don’t want to get into that too deeply and write a novel on your post.

Could just be the dialogue hasn't had room for it, but I've been thinking about Octavia's line in the trailer about Stolas never having loved her (or Stella, though that's a separate thing); just Blitzø.

And unless I'm missing a moment, we haven't actually heard Stolas use the word love in the show. Not to Octavia, even when it would've been appropriate in the episodes focused on them, when he was comforting her at Loo Loo Land, or after they reunited in LA. He promises to be there, he definitely feels love, but he never uses that word. Even when he's putting her to bed as a child, where it'd also fit, no l-word.

He doesn't use it with Blitzø either. Pretty jarringly, because Blitzø has thrown it around a few times in the past two episodes. Which could be Stolas being emotionally intelligent enough to recognize he doesn't know Blitzø well enough to love him, but I wonder if that's not also a symptom of growing up the way he did. All the repression. The being told to hide his emotions. Paimon being Paimon.

Not like 'love' is a magic word or anything, and Stolas has been communicating his feelings very well. He doesn't need to say it for his words and actions to matter. It'd just be ironic if Blitzø, who we know from Verosika is allergic to 'I love you,' actually has less difficultly with saying it than Prince Rom Com. And if Stolas is particularly shy about verbalizing love, despite being such a romantic, because it's something he's always wanted so badly, whether in a familial or romantic sense, that he instinctively dodges the term. (Which is a hangup that maybe contributes to Via's feelings, as well).

[ihavenocluedude]

Lost in admiration

Eddie Munson x Gender Neutral!reader

Link to reading this on Ao3    Link to my main masterlist 

A/N - I don’t mention any pronouns as far as I know so I think I can call this gender neutral but what the heck do I know. Title sort of taken from the song Head over Heels by Tears For Fears. Although not really inspired by it. Except maybe the vibes?? I’ve seriously been working on this for days now and my brain is beat. I am so in love with Eddie Munson though so it’s worth it. 

Sort of inspired by these two tags I wrote in a reblog of an Eddie Gifset :

Warnings - Swearing (a lot of internal anxious swearing especially I guess but also in dialogue, which is also mostly in the anxious dialogues), crushing on someone for years, mentions of drugs and alcohol, drinking, I’m kind of scared this is OOC... so like hoping it isn’t but warning that it might be

Word Count - 5.7k

”So, you’re having a party on Friday?” This had been going on for 3 days now, the near-constant questioning. 

Several people coming up to you at any time they themselves figured was a good time to ask this very question. And now even fucking popular douchebag star of the basketball team Jason Carver was speaking to you. Seemingly trying to work some sort of charm that you bet several of the cheerleaders had fallen victim to.

”There’s no party.”

”That’s not what the entire school is saying y’know? Parents gone, a whole house to yourself, don’t be selfish.” As if any of that would change your mind to actually liking parties and wanting to have a bunch of strangers in your home.

”I know.” You chuckled sarcastically before continuing ”But, y’know… no one in this school except for me actually lives there so, it’s my right to decide. No party.”

”So… no party?”

”Exactly. Spread the word, jock.” Thankfully, he stepped away from your lunch table after that. ”I hate this.”

”You don’t hate this.”

”Robin. I hate this. Someone literally almost stopped me in the grocery store yesterday, with my mom next to me! They’re not even away yet. And it wasn’t even me who told the masses that I’d be home alone this weekend.” You ranted in anguish before letting out a small groan, your volume rising slightly during your rant, making several of the students in the cafeteria look over at the two of you.

”I am sorry for telling Steve…”

”I know.”

”I didn’t think he’d-”

”Robin, it’s okay. It’s fine. It would’ve spread around anyway. Apparently, Steve was not the first to start spreading the word. Someone heard us talking the other day and didn’t hear all of it, so they assumed, like they always do.”

Your parents had told you the weekend before they were going to be away. Told you that they trusted you not to do anything stupid, have at most just three friends over, and to try not to mess up the house whilst they were gone. They hadn’t told and taught you the wise lesson that it’s wise not to mention this information in school or to tell your best friend not to tell anyone including her still somewhat new friend Steve Harrington.

Formerly known as King Steve. More recently known as the guy who had a thousand dates lined up but nowhere to take them to. Hawkins wasn’t exactly the most… eventful place unless you count the horrifying events that you’d thankfully and unthankfully gotten to know about through Robin’s rants to you about it after she got pulled into it all.

And Steve couldn’t possibly bring all his dates to the makeout spots like Lovers’ Lake or Skull Rock. No no no, that would be completely ridiculous. So when he heard Robin mentioning you being home alone for the weekend, aka a possibility for a party he could take a date to, he’d just ran off to the phone to start calling numbers. He isn’t the guy to force a party upon you but… he ’accidentally’ was anyhow.

”Would it be that bad if you had a party?”

”Are you offering to clean up the house with me the day after?” You asked mostly sarcastically. Even with trying to turn everyone and anyone away from the idea that you were having a party… It was sort of starting to grow on you anyway.

The ’classic’ high school experience was just there right in front of you, why not appreciate it? Besides if you didn’t you’d have to open your door every five minutes on Friday and tell them ’no, there isn’t a party here, listen for a second… you hear that? complete silence’ anyway by the way this had spread… so why not instead actually just let them in.

”Sure.”

”Really?”

”Why not?”

”Am I really going to have a party just because of group pressure?” Robin’s smile was ridiculously infectious and even as you said it you felt your lips quirking up into a small smile.

”Not just. He would totally come.” AND she’d won you over completely. You knew exactly who she was talking about, because who else would she be talking about with such inflection in her voice.

Before you knew it you had stood up on the lunch table dramatically as he himself has done before. Clearing your voice in a showy way before almost screaming to the cafeteria ”I CHANGED MY MIND! MY HOUSE THIS FRIDAY, PEOPLE!”

You should’ve known to regret those sentences by the way the basketball team table started cheering. Fuck. But then whilst you were getting down off the table, desperately averting your eyes from the popular table, your eyes just quickly locked on him for a second. The usual jean vest & leather jacket duo, and the Hellfire club shirt proudly presented under them. But more importantly, his eyes on you too.

”Well, that was nice.”

”Do you think he’ll still come if Jason and his league of basketball douchebags come?”

You knew that he wasn’t that into parties in general. But he showed up sometimes. You weren’t really a party person yourself but if Eddie ’The Freak’ Munson came to the party, you’d hear about it the day after usually. Some of them he just attended because he knew he could sell a lot, bringing along his little lunch box-y thingy.

But… in this situation, you also sort of had a contact that could perhaps convince him to come. Hopefully.

The video store wasn’t necessarily your favorite place in Hawkins, but it wasn’t all that bad. You’d hang out with Robin whilst she worked sometimes, which led to actually getting to know Harrington a bit. There were movies galore, you had a pretty good friend discount, and Robin would tell you when something you’d maybe want to rent or buy would come in. But none of those reasons were why you entered the video store along with Robin right after school that afternoon. Almost rushing up to Steve Harrington, a somewhat pleading look in your eyes already.

”I need you to pass on a message. Well, not a message per se… I just-”

”Out with it.”

”I want you to make Dustin convince Eddie Munson to go to my party. Without making it all- fucking- obvious.” You were jittery, nervous, and still just a tad on edge from your earlier announcement at lunch. And Steve’s immediate reaction to start laughing at what you just said did not help your on edge behavior. ”Steve, I’m serious.”

”Eddie ’The Freak’ Munson?” He scoffed once he’d calmed down his laughing enough to get words out, but then turned quiet for a few seconds as he saw your anxiousness. ”Are you… No way! You’re into Freaky Eddie?”

”Steve! Shut up!” You muttered with wide eyes, quickly glancing around the store to thankfully see no customers your age in the store at the moment. ”Can you do it?”

”It’s up to Dustin but I can ask him.”

— ~~~ —

All in all… it wasn’t a big deal. The thing about Eddie, your thing for Eddie. But it had started years ago.

It could all be traced back to middle school. But you wouldn’t call what you felt back then a crush. It was more like…  an admiring kind of intimidation and jealousy.

He was just so himself.

You felt like you were still deciding if you were an actual person and there he was so… fully formed. He’d already started his rock band with his friends, been so passionate about music it almost made you sick, and had a sick buzzcut at the time. And he was older. He seemed so mature and grown sometimes although he was probably nothing of the kind.

It wasn’t like you ever talked to him, the intimidation was just… too much. He went off to high school whilst you were stuck in middle school for two more years without him and by then he’d slipped away from your mind a little. Well until you saw him again at least.

Once you caught up to high school with him he was in his junior year. Just two more years until you’d probably never see him again, at least that’s what you thought.

Freshman year was… easy. It wasn’t quite the same awestruck admiration you’d had for him when you were younger. And you hadn’t yet quite seen him like you would come to see him the year after. Once entering your sophomore year, the year of his first senior year, you realized that the feelings you felt towards him had definitely developed more… romantically?

Without ever speaking to the guy, without ever actually interacting with him, it had still developed.

He had started growing out his hair from the buzzcut the year before, the shaggy curly hair growing quickly and just almost reaching his shoulders at that point. And you noticed that you’d never really noticed his eyes before. For a guy who seemed so unreserved and called a freak, his eyes were just really calm in a way. Yet so expressive, warm, and just beautiful. And although you’d never really mention it to anyone, not even Robin, he was adorable. And hot.

But you had to be honest with yourself after all. That was his senior year. He’d leave Hawkins and probably never come back after that, at least that’s what you’d heard the plan was. And you were… glad.

Maybe you could stop feeling like some school girl with a silly crush on the ’bad boy’ of the school. Maybe you could stop feeling as if he was just everywhere you went in Hawkins, just because your brain seemed to feel like it meant more seeing him than seeing any other schmuck in this school or person in this world. Maybe you could stop fantasizing about joining his club just to get the courage to actually talk to him.

Then he was held back.

And it all just snowballed. The feelings grew more intense and testified to the fact that you really never were going to speak to him out of your own volition. Not even if you tried joining The Hellfire club, because how on earth were you going to speak to him whilst under the pressure of the game too?

And now you had agreed to host a party partially because Robin told you he’d come. It wasn’t even guaranteed. It was just speculation and your heart jumped out of your chest and told your brain it was a good idea, even when in afterthought it felt like the most stupid thing you’d ever done.

— ~~~ —

You’d thought about if you’d actually get the courage to speak to Eddie at the party. Would what people call ’liquid courage’ actually give you courage? You weren’t a party person yourself, you didn’t know the proper etiquette, and you definitely didn’t feel like you had whatever you thought you needed to speak to Eddie Munson. Which felt silly considering Freshmen speak to him daily.

You hadn’t ever talked to him thus far, why would it happen at the party?

This was the question you were both asking yourself as much as you also were protesting it. You obviously wanted to speak to him. And hey, why not? It would be more casual at the party, perhaps liquid courage is actually courage, and hey maybe unicorns do exist?

It all just felt so ridiculous that you questioned why you were thinking about it this much anyway. A loop in your head with the intermittent ’you should think about all the other great things about this party!’. And still, it was on your mind the whole Thursday school day.

”Hey!-shit. Hello?” The question had been clouding your mind enough to first not even notice the person who’d called after you. ”Can you stop walking please?” Or at least seemed to be calling for you. You turned around before answering, hoping to see that it wasn’t yet another person asking about the party and instead someone calling after someone else.

And there he was. Seemingly actually calling for you.

Taking a breath and clearing your throat before answering, ”Y-Yeah?” if you hadn’t it probably would’ve sounded more like a whisper.

”You’re having a party tomorrow right?” A quick nod in response as you don’t fully trust your words, barely even trusting your facial expressions in this moment. ”Could we talk for a minute?”

”Yeah sure absolutely.” You were talking to him. What the fuck was going on.

”Not… in school preferably.” He clarified, hoping that you’d get what he was signifying. You gave a slower nod before gesturing with your thumb over your shoulder towards the way you were headed out of school, him giving you a nod back to say that he’d follow you. Walking up beside you as you then walked side by side through the halls.

”I could… I could drive you home or something and we could talk about it on the way?” He suggested sort of stumbling through the sentence, your shy and quiet demeanor because of being flustered evidently being somewhat contagious.  

”Uhm… well, my friend is supposed to pick me up. But… yeah sure?

”Oh, I should’ve known, you can still go with… them. We could just talk tomorrow?”

”No, it’s fine, really.” You insisted whilst simultaneously trying as hard as possible not to constantly look up at him. To get to see his eyes up close or see if he had that smile you’d only get to truly see when he was making a spectacle of himself somewhere in the school. Instead, you allowed yourself a few short glances before averting your eyes to the way you were going.

Whispers from other people in the hall somehow already started going around about the two of you as they saw you. But soon enough Eddie’s voice cut through them as he spoke to you again.

”So, Steve right?”

”Huh?”

”The friend picking you up?”

”How’d you know?” Your eyebrows furrowed slightly in response although quickly trying to unfurrow them to not seem as desperate for the answer as you actually felt. Running your fingers anxiously over your forehead lightly before running your hand over your hair and then dropping it to your side again.

”Well he picks you up sometimes right?”

”Well yeah but-”

”And I know Dustin who knows Steve so…”

”Right. Of course.” Somehow it had never truly come up in your mind that Eddie could know who you were. That he had heard about you from Dustin or others, that he could’ve had thought about you too whenever you two saw each other around Hawkins the last couple of years. ”I just have to tell Robin that I’m going with you instead and then we can go I guess.” You sort of sighed out when the two of you stepped out of the school, trying to take deep breaths but still feeling like you were somehow failing.

Once outside Robin was thankfully the first thing you saw. Not that she was close by but rather that your eyes knew just as well as your brain to seek her out when anxious. Your safe person.

”I’ll just go wait in my van.”

”I- I don’t know which one’s yours.” It wasn’t completely true, but it wasn’t false either. You’d seen him arrive at school once or twice at the same time that you did and although you had picked up that it was a van… you’d mostly been focused on the driver rather than the car or really trying not to look.

But even though you knew you’d embarrass yourself more by trying to find it later without knowing what it looks like… you found yourself regretting saying that anyway. Because right after you said it, he got closer to you, made sure he was on the same eye-level as you, and then pointed it out before noting; ”It’s… that one.”

Shivers. down. your. spine. Mouth slacking slightly open before quickly snapping it shut. Breathing in deeply through your nose, although regretting that instantly as well.

He was barely doing anything but being somewhat close to you, body heat radiating from him, his arm pointing over one of your shoulders towards the van that sat just a small distance away, his head lingering quite closely by yours on your other side.

But considering you’d pined for him for over two years, been admiring him, and been intimidated by him for even longer, it felt like… nothing else. Not to talk about the fact that you got a heavy dose of what he smells like, heavenly by the way, when you breathed in through your nose.

”I- I see it. I think. I’ll be right over. I just- see you later.” You managed to get out before directing your eyes back to Robin and walking quickly towards her. Her eyes were wide and already looking at you, definitely having seen what just happened, your eyes instantly shooting daggers back at her as you knew that Eddie would be able to see her expression if he looked over.

And although she was your safe person you once again couldn’t stop the incessant overthinking going on in your head as you walked towards her.

Eddie must think that you’re terrified of him or something by the way you’ve averted your eyes, stumbled and stuttered your way through the conversation, and the anxious behavior overall. OR he knows, he’s noticed and he knows. Either way; Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

”So, what the hell was that?” Robin asked a teasing grin on her face that probably wouldn’t stop even if you begged her not to smile like that ’because it’s making it obvious’.

”I- uhm… he wants… Eddie- he wants to talk about the party, I think. He’s sort of driving me home.”

”What?”

”You can literally not make a big deal out of this right now, I’m freaking out and he’s probably looking at us or something. I can’t look-” You started ranting, your last few words catching Robin’s attention as she decided to glance his way instead, your hand immediately going up to her jaw to push her eyes back to you ”Robin! You can’t either, are you crazy?”

”Somewhat.”

”What the fuck do I do.”

”You think I know anything about that?”

”I don’t know! Where the fuck is Steve when we need him?” And almost as if summoning a demon, you apparently summoned Steve by just saying his name, his car rolling into the nearest parking spot to you and Robin before quickly half getting out one foot in the car and the other on the asphalt. ”Oh, thank fuck.”

”How did you do that?” Robin chuckled before looking over at Steve. ”Hi Dingus. Look like it’s just going to be the two of us.”

”Really? You don’t need a ride?” Steve asked, directing the first question to Robin before looking at you and tilting his head the way it feels like he always does when asking something.

”Getting a ride by Eddie Munson.” Robin answered, louder than needed and with the same teasing grin as earlier. Throwing her stuff in the back seat before assuming the Steve Harrington Position of one foot in and one foot out.

”I thought you’d never spoken to him before?” Steve questioned, thankfully much softer and not as loud as Robin. You walked closer to the car hoping that fewer people might be interested in the talk the three of you were having and not having to talk as loudly. Or at least not as loudly as Robin thought she needed to for you to hear from that small distance away.

”I haven’t. Not until today, he was sort of waiting on me outside the classroom by the end of my lesson I guess?” And it still felt like one of your dreams or fantasies, although with a lot more anxiety.

”And you’re getting in a car with him?”

”I trust him. I mean hasn’t he like driven Dustin sometime or something? He trusts him too! But uhm… I need… Like- What the hell do I do? Like how do I act?”

”Why are you asking me?”

”Because you know about these sorts of things! I’ve seen you at the video store. C’mon now Harrington, lay it on me, tell me how I’m supposed to act.”

”Haven’t you been there during all the talks we’ve had with Robin about her crush? Be yourself!”

”Yeah fine whatever, but you can’t just do that, right?” The former king of Hawkins High had to have some sort of advice other than the totally cliché thing that Robin had said first.

”What, do you mean flirting?”

”I guess?” Although the nervous feelings from before weren’t gone, you found yourself a lot calmer around Robin and Steve. Eyes not averting as much except looking over at Robin from time to time and once or twice glancing over at the van to see that it’s still there. Just looking at the hulk of the van though and not even daring to look through the front window of the car in fear that you’ll lose all your calm within just a microsecond or something.

”Listen. Calm down. Go sit down in his van and just talk for now. You can save the flirting for when you’re drunk, it’s easier.”

”That last bit sounds sort of like bad advice, but what the hell.”

Robin and Steve drove off and you made your way over to the car, sparing one single glance through the front window to make sure it was Eddie sitting there, which thankfully it was. And thankfully you didn’t lose your complete cool by just looking at him, progress.

”Hi. Sorry that took a while.”

”It’s okay.” Eddie’s answer was short and simple, his voice as smooth in tone as you’d always thought it was. ”That conversation looked intense?” shit

”Uhm… yeah, no. It was nothing.”

”So, not about me?” Eddie questioned that wonderful smile on his face, obviously lightly teasing you. Testing the waters.

”No, no. About the party.” You chuckled back in response with a shake of your head, it wasn’t technically a lie, the party was sort of mentioned. Steve had told you to leave the flirting to the party. Eddie still hadn’t started the car. The two of you talking in the quiet of his van although with the echo of the conversations of students getting out of school just outside.

”I know Harrington doesn’t like me.”

”Harrington doesn’t know you.” It came rushed out before you could even stop yourself, ”Not that- not that I do… I just-”

”No, I get it. That’s… sweet.” Finally, albeit your feelings were a bit mixed over it, he started the car and started getting out of the parking lot, driving out into Hawkins. ”So, about the party. I was thinking that I’m gonna go.”

”Great.”

”Yeah?”

”Do you want to come?”

”Do you want me to come?”

”Yeah. Sure.”

”Could I- You do know about my ’part-time job’, right?” You didn’t know where to look but looking over at him, you found your eyes meeting his just as he was gesturing the quotation marks with his right hand, nodding in response once again. ”Can I sell at your party?”

”Why not? I won’t be- But I don’t mind.” You explained with a shrug and a shake of your head, once again stumbling through your words. Kept your eyes on him for a little while, appreciating the moment whilst you could, and finding out that he glanced over ever so often. But when looking out the front window you realized you were getting pretty close to home. ”Do you know where I live?”

”Everyone’s sort of been shouting your address all over the school the last few days. It would be hard not to.”

”That’s really… uncomfortable honestly. The whole thing of everyone knowing where you live? I felt pretty much invisible before all of this.” You winced, had people at school really been that vocal about a party? ”I won’t get like… weird shit happening to me right?”

”They’ll probably forget as soon as they’re there.”

”Really?”

”Absolutely, you’ll be safe.”

— ~~~ —

”So this is going well so far, right?” You asked with your back leaned up against a wall in the entry hallway next to Robin, drink in your hand. The door stood wide open and ready for the next horde of teenagers to come in and crowd your living room, kitchen, and whatever else they wanted it seemed. ”I mean… we’ve got a crowd, Steve seems pretty happy over there with Heidi or whoever, they all seem to enjoy the music? And I’m like… tipsy for the first time in a long time.”

”You’re past tipsy, but yes. Everything seems pretty good. Except for one thing. You haven’t talked to him.”

”I said hi?” You defended yourself. But you couldn’t even defend yourself that much cause you knew you wanted to, you needed to. If you had been sober you would’ve felt completely ready to go somewhere else and hide from the situation, but the drinks had pulled something out of you. Neediness, something you had both sort of hoped for and dreaded.

Neediness that made your eyes linger on him every time you peeked around the party, neediness that felt like it was pulling at your heart, neediness that felt like it was pulsing through your blood.

”Dude, go and talk to him.”

”Sure, fuck it. Wish me luck.”

”Good luck!” Robin chuckled and gently pushed your shoulder as you separated yourself from the wall.

The living room was completely crowded, just as expected. What you hadn’t expected, however, was the way most of the people in the living room still hung out in their cliques. Sure they weren’t all in their separate little groups, some were on what had become the dance floor not giving a shit, some were playing drinking games whilst sitting on the couch, and all in all, it wasn’t that bad.

But the basketball team was almost standing in a line, all in their letterman jackets as if the jacket was a uniform. Stood all together as if they were trying to intimidate the whole party. Meanwhilst, the seniors of the group they call freaks were all spread across the room, none of them in their hellfire shirts.

”That looks weird, right?” An icebreaker was always a reliable way to enter a conversation. At least that’s what you hoped for when you came up to Eddie, gesturing towards the team. ”It looks almost horror movie-esque.”

”Yeah definitely.” He laughed out, and just like you and Robin had leaned against a wall in the hallway, you leaned against a wall with Eddie Munson. What you hoped was one of the normal positions at a party that wasn’t sitting or being in the way of others. ”You’re okay with them being here though?”

”Yeah it’s fine. At least I know who they are, if any of them breaks a lamp… I know whose parents to call.” Popping the ’p’ and sighing a little before averting your eyes from the team and instead to Eddie who definitely seemed to be in a laughing mood. Looking away from him a second later though when you realized that you currently couldn’t look at his eyes this closely without your mouth just slightly opening. ”I’m not like that uncomfortable with it but… there are a lot of people here that I feel like I don’t know.”

”You know me.”

”Do I?” It felt like it was just minutes ago when you had sort of excused yourself by saying that you didn’t know him in his car.

”Eddie Munson, Freak of Hawkins High. Nice to meet you.” He stretched out his hand with a smug grin on his face. With a playful tone in his voice and expressing a demeanor you’d only seen from afar before. You took his hand without much of a second thought but almost froze up when you could feel the rings on his fingers. The rings almost shocked you as if something knocked on your brain and just reminded you that this was Eddie Munson. The Eddie Munson.

”Oh, you’re that guy, well of course.” You teased with a chuckle, playing along.

”Told you that you knew me!” He chuckled and clapped his hands together once after your little shake. ”Y’know Dustin was talking so much about the party I thought he was gonna come here. That he was dropping hints that he wanted me to chaperone him to his first party or something.”

”Really?” You might have to smack the back of Dustin’s head a little next time you see him… ”Is that why you came?”

”No… Not at all.” Eddie remarked calmly, holding eye contact with you whilst he said it but then moved his eyes to look over the party around the two of you. ”Could we get away from this for a while?”

”For sure.”

You tried going outside at first but there were a lot of people outside too. People who’d probably had the same thought as Eddie. To get some air or just get away from being surrounded by people for a second or two at least.

”I have an idea.” You said before without a thought taking his hand in yours and leading him to the kitchen. Opened one of the drawers, and there they were; the key you’d locked the bedrooms with and a bag of snacks you’d saved for either when everyone left or for when you felt you needed to retreat to your bedroom. Almost like this moment turned out. Except you’d thought it would just be you, going up into your room, changing clothes and eating snacks, and then falling asleep.

Took the key, took the snacks, filled up your drink, and walked upstairs with Eddie in tow. As soon as Eddie made it into the room as well you shut the door as quickly as possible, set down your things and walked over to the windows, and opened them. Letting the fresh air in, but also thankfully some background noise. Took your things again and slumped down next to your bed, using it as a backrest.

”Better?”

”Much.” Eddie chuckled, his also refilled drink stretched out to toast with yours, ”Cheers.”

”Cheers.” He was sitting close enough for you to feel the heat of him radiating off of him once again. If he was so warm all the time you had no clue how the hell he constantly had on that leather jacket and jean vest combo. But you weren’t going to complain about any of that.

”I didn’t bring my stash.”

”Huh?”

”The… I asked if I could sell, y’know the other day. But… I didn’t bring it.”

”I don’t want to buy or anything-”

”No, you’re- I just… I didn’t want to sell. I just wanted to be here.” Eddie admitted with a sigh as if he absolutely needed to tell you that. His ’here’ sounded as if he really meant here, alone with you.

”That’s… sweet.” You chuckled as you heard yourself practically quoting him from the other day. Your heart felt as if it was going to beat its way out of you. And as a distraction… you decided to make it so much harder on yourself. Pulling your legs closer to yourself before picking up his closest arm and resting it on your angled lap as you decided to get a closer look at the tattoo near his elbow. Angling your knees slightly more in towards him as you stroked your fingers over the bats that decorated his skin.

You knew his eyes were on you as you started to trace them with one of your hands, whilst the one closest to him sort of just supported his arm. Or at least that’s only what it was doing until he took that hand in his own. However, you still didn’t dare look at him just yet. But you could still feel how close his head was to yours, how close you truly were now.

Your breathing had become kind of heavy, mostly in anticipation. This certainly felt like something was about to happen. And surprisingly you found yourself being the one to make it happen. Looked at him and took a deep breath in before you picked up your hand that had now just rested over his tattoo and guided it to his jaw instead. And then guided him to you.

Turns out, that having a crush on Eddie Munson leads to pretty amazing things. Like seeing the way he looked at you before you kissed. Feeling his free hand rest on one of your knees and guide them even closer to him. And the harsh feeling of several years of crushing on him, being intimidated by him, and admiring him softened severely.

”I’ve been wanting that for… too long.” Eddie sighed out dreamily once the two of you parted, which almost made you laugh in his face.

”You? I’ve been-” You started before your eyes widened and started over, ”Yeah no… way too long.” Your head bumped gently down on his shoulder forehead first and rested it there.

”What were you going to say?” His voice was quite hushed still but you could hear the smug and happy tone in it so clearly. Although he seemed to try not to sound so obvious.

”I uhm… I’ve sort of had this crush on you… for a while.”

”Really?”

”Yep.”

”Dustin trying to convince me to go makes a lot more sense now.” Eddie chuckled although his voice sounded more confused than enlightened. ”I sort of… figured out it was something behind it but I didn’t believe it when he said it was Steve who’d asked him to. I never figured out that there was a chain of command.”

”Oh god. Sorry. I was just… I didn’t think you’d come with the way the basketball team pretty much yelled their acceptance of the invite. And… y’know, crush. So I figured it was worth a try.” You shrugged lightly and placed your chin on his shoulder instead so you could look at him. Those big soft brown eyes looked right back at you.

”I was gonna come anyway.”

”Well I didn’t know that.”

”But now you do.”

[alloftheimaginesblog]

Not Your Last {Steve Harrington}

Request: You’re going through a hard time after having just been broken up with. You find comfort in your friend, Steve Harrington.

Character: Steve Harrington x Gender Neutral Reader

Requested by @hufflepuffing-all-day-long​ - hope u feel better angel, remember u are more than enough xxx

As you wiped your eyes and blew your nose, you wondered when you’d stop crying. For the last week and a bit, all you’d done was cry resulting in permanently puffy eyes and a migraine from the dehydration. Your head fell back, hitting your pillow, and you tried to hold back a second wave as you let out a long breath. At this point, you could practically cry on demand now; everything and anything reminded you of him. Him. Your boyfriend, now ex. He’d broken up with you a week and a bit ago for reasons you just didn’t understand - bullshit  reasons, to be honest. You hadn’t seen it coming, you’d been side-lined by his decision and that’s what hurt the most. You had no idea; you’d thought things were good, nay great, but not to him apparently so he’d ended things abruptly and not very kindly.

Your friends for the last week had been trying to coax you out of the house and to do something with them, something fun to take your mind off of your sadness but you didn’t want to. How could you pretend to have fun when you couldn’t think of anything other than why? All of these unanswered questions ran through your mind day in and day out. Was it you? Had you done something? Did you not make him happy anymore? Was he not attracted to you? Were you too much for him? You had tried to ask these questions but your ex was vague and didn’t really want to deal with all the negative emotions so he pretty much hightailed out of there after telling you and had been avoiding you ever since. You’d not had the full closure so all of your insecurities, all of your little worries and doubts about yourself were coming out of the woodwork to wreck your brain.

Breaking you out of your thoughts, your alarm blared on your bedside table. Shit. Quickly, you leapt up and slammed your hand on it, silencing it with a slap. You were late; you were late for work. After a week of managing to get your shifts covered, today was your first day back at work since the break up. You wished that you could’ve been off for another three weeks but life had to resume at some point, right? You just hoped that it would be an easy day and that no one would bother you plus you would be working with your friend, Steve Harrington, today; how bad could it be?

You got to work twenty minutes late. Steve was already there, he’d opened this morning, “Well, well, look who it isn’t. How we doing?” He leant on the counter, smirking at you with his hair styled to absolute perfection as usual.

You shrugged your jacket off wandering into the back to dump it in a corner before answering, “I haven’t cried in like thirty minutes. That’s a record.” Steve gave you a sad smile, “Thanks for covering some of my shifts this week, means a lot.”

Steve shrugged, “No big deal.” In fact, it had been a pretty big deal. Steve should’ve had a date with Trudy - a hot college girl - and then should’ve been attending what would be known as the biggest college party of the year but when you’d called, all sad and sniffly, asking if he’d help you out... of course he said yes. That boy would’ve went to the Upside Down willingly if you’d asked him to. Yeah, unbeknownst to you (yet known to literally everyone else in Hawkins) Steve Harrington had a massive crush on you. Of course he hadn’t told you, you were friends and you had been in a relationship so he’d kept it secret. Dustin liked to tease him about it all the freaking time but he was sworn to secrecy. You and Steve had been through a lot together, friends for years then getting swept up into the supernatural world with the rest of your friends. Steve would’ve done anything for you so when you’d called asking him to cover some shifts, he cancelled his date and didn’t show up to the party. He didn’t mind that much really. He could tell that you were struggling, the dark bags under your eyes and the permanent teary eyed gaze told him everything that he needed to know. He hated that you were going through this; he hated that your idiot ex had done this to you and caused you so much anguish. Steve didn’t want to push you to tell him so he waited for you to open up to him.

“Can we put on a movie that’s not all lovey dovey?” You asked as Steve began to look through the racks of VHS tapes to find one to show.

He smirked as he plucked one from the shelves, “How about The Thing? Scare the customers to death when they come in?”

“Perfect.” Usually you weren’t such a big fan of horror but right now, you’d happily sit and watch Kurt Russell and the gang fight an alien.

The day moved slowly. Customers trickled in a few every hour. You and Steve sat on the counters and Steve caught you up with everything that you’d missed over the last week. To be honest, nothing otherworldly or anything like that but you’d missed some party stuff and you’d missed Dustin and Steve having a debate about the best song of all time but that was pretty much it. You’d almost gone so far as to say that you felt better. Everything was going fine until... until the door chimed and someone walked in. You turned towards them jumping off of the counter to greet them when your heart sunk, “Welcome to Family Videos, how can I- oh.”

Stood in front of you was your ex-boyfriend carrying a cardboard box. Steve stepped off of the counter, eyes moving back and forth between you and your ex, “Hey, (y/n).” He greeted quietly, “How’ve you been?”

Your heart pounded in your chest and you could feel a lump forming in your throat. No. You didn’t want to cry in front of him, you didn’t want to give him that satisfaction so instead you nodded, “Fine, yeah.” Your voice was thick, “You?”

“Yeah, good thanks.”

A few tense seconds of awkward silence passed before Steve interjected. He knew that you were uncomfortable, he knew that you were close to crying. He could see your hands fidgeting with the sleeves of your t-shirt and he just knew that he needed to get you out of this situation, “Uh, (y/n), can you go into the back and grab the box of new movies that have to go out please?” He asked you.

You glanced at him, “What- Oh, yeah sure.” You were confused but as you glanced at him, he widened his eyes slightly and motioned for you to go to the back. Quickly, you turned on your heel and went into the back, sparing a glance at your ex before closing the door. Tears formed and fell in record time as your breathing quickened. You knew that you’d have to face him at some point but you didn’t think it would happen this soon and out of all the places it could’ve happened, you didn’t expect your ex to show up to your work. You could hear the muffled conversation from Steve and your ex, you tried to listen in.

“I just have a box of (y/n)’s stuff, if you could give it to them I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure... Why’d you bring it here, dude? When we’re working? That’s a bit of a low blow.”

“I didn’t think that me turning up to (y/n)’s house would be much better.”

“And why not?”

“Cause they have loads of questions that I don’t really know the answer to!” You could feel your heart break a bit more as he said the next phrase, “It all gets a bit much with them.”

“Know what, dude, you’re not allowed to come back here ever. Not next week, not next month, hell not in the next five years.”

“Dude, what the-”

“We have the right to refuse service to anyone. Get out.” You could hear Steve opening the counter gate and the voices got more and more muffled so you couldn’t hear them much. The door chimed and then you heard it slam shut. It was only a few seconds before the door swung open and there was Steve, “What an asshole, man,” he scoffed under his breath as he turned to you. You were crumpled on the floor, back pressed against the back wall of the tiny back room and Steve changed completely. He crouched down in front of you and spoke with a soft voice, “He’s gone. I kicked him out and banned him for life. Told him if he comes back then I’ll punch him in the jaw.”

“I heard what he said,” you sniffed as you wiped at your eyes, “It’s all a bit much with them. Am I too much? Is that why he dumped me? Am I too much?”

Steve quickly scooted to you, sitting on the floor and placing his hand on your knee, “No,” he said strongly, “Don’t you dare listen to him. Don’t you dare allow him to make you feel this small and worthless. (y/n), you’re so damn awesome. You’re not too much at all. He’s just a dick who broke your heart and couldn’t be assed dealing with the emotions and questions that came from it... He’s not worth it; he’s not worth all of this.”

You shook your head, too caught up in your own insecurities to really hear what Steve was saying, “Maybe I’m not worth it,” you sobbed, “Maybe I am too much, maybe I’m not pretty enough, not skinny enough... Maybe I’m just not worth it.”

Steve shook his head so hard that pieces of his perfectly styled hair fell out of place, “(y/n), listen to me,” he said strongly. He reached out, pulling to you to look at him as he held your face in his hands, “He’s a jerk, you’re-you’re- (y/n)... You’re everything.” His voice softened completely, “Maybe not to him, maybe he just didn’t see all of the reasons why you’re so freaking perfect the way you are but that doesn’t mean that everyone ignores them. He might’ve been your first love but he sure as hell won’t be the last.” Your breathing began to slow as you looked at Steve. The way he looked at you, eyes boring into yours... it was... different, “(y/n), you are more than enough, more than worth it... It’s his loss.”

“You really think so?” You sniffed quietly.

Steve rolled his eyes, “(y/n), I’ve had a crush on you for years now, I promise you that you’re pretty damn perfect. You’re gorgeous for a start, funny, dorky, you’re kind and you listen... You blast music and sing with me in the car, you entertain me with stupid jokes and weird impressions... You not only care about me but you care so much about all the kids too, you’d do anything to keep them safe... You are so damn worth it; never doubt yourself.” His words span around your head and it took you a minute to realise you’d stopped crying, “It’s his loss. Not yours. You’ll find love again, you’ll find a partner again and you’ll be happy again. I promise you. He’s not the last love of your life.”

You nodded, giving him a tiny smile. You were about to speak when you heard the door chime and someone calling out, “Hello? Anyone here?”

Steve mentally cursed himself for not locking the door, “You okay?” He asked softly.

“Better now, yeah.” You nodded.

Steve dropped his hands from your face and gave you a final nod before standing and calling back, “Yeah, I’m here.” He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him. He’d attend to this customer whilst you got yourself cleaned up. Clearing your throat, you grabbed some tissues, wiping your eyes and nose. You waited until the customer had gone before you left the office.

“Was returning some stuff,” Steve said as you walked out. He gestured to some VHS tapes on the counter, “Said he forgot to rewind them back to the beginning, yeah right! Jerk.”

You laughed slightly, “I’ll deal with them,” you said, picking them up, “Hey... Thank you for back there. Even going so far as pretending to have a crush on me to boost my ego a bit.” To be honest, you didn’t know if Steve had pretended or not, you just couldn’t see it happening in real life so you just assumed he was being a good friend, “I really needed to hear that. Thanks, Steve.”

Steve faltered, “Uh, yeah... Sure, no problem.” He didn’t want to tell you yet. He didn’t want to tell you that he wasn’t pretending, that he meant every single damn word of that speech and more. It wasn’t his place just now. Not when you were sad and vulnerable after a break up. No, he’d tell you once you’d healed, once the time was right... He’d tell you when you were ready to hear it. For now, he’d pretend to be your friend, pretend that everything was normal... For now, he would wait, “I mean it though, you’re worth so much more than him (y/n).”

[fennelwrites]

Volo x stubborn reader angst please!

Reader gets seriously injured and tries to hide it from Volo when he just randomly shows up but he catches on. Reader still mad at him for temple stuff and refuses his help until they pass out. Volo talks about how he can’t seem to find a way to hate them while he treats their injuries. Then something happens when they wake up? Idk

alright so i know "this got away from me" is like my catchphrase at this point BUT i started writing this and the words literally did not stop so here we are. chefs kiss

i can't hate you (and trust me, i've tried) - volo/reader

Volo winced, and for a fleeting moment, you regretted your words. But you shook your head, making another motion to get away from him. He didn’t care about you. He never had. He was just trying to manipulate you again.

Thinking about the alternative would just hurt you more.

(cw: injury. contains postgame spoilers. reader has an umbreon because i have an umbreon lmao)

read on ao3

You dragged yourself onto a small ledge overlooking the lower portion of the Coronet Highlands, panting heavily from exertion. Your ankle throbbed with pain, and blood seeped through your torn uniform coat. Beside you, your Umbreon made a concerned noise, nudging your uninjured leg.

“Sorry, buddy,” you managed to say. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Apparently, the completion of the Pokedex had made you overconfident; you had left Jubilife that morning feeling invincible, heading into the rainstorm and massive outbreaks like nothing could harm you. An alpha Gliscor had quickly proven you wrong, though, knocking you over in one hit. Your Umbreon had left its Pokeball on its own volition and driven the Gliscor back, though not without incurring a few wounds itself, and you’d sprained your ankle in your haste to get away.

Well, if you had to bleed out anywhere, at least the Highlands were pretty.

You rolled onto your back and sighed, looking up into the gray sky. Beside you, Umbreon prodded at your shoulders, trying to get you to move. Suddenly, its eyes locked onto something, and you faintly heard the sound of footsteps over Umbreon’s low growl.

A shock of blond hair met your vision, and your blood ran cold.

It had to be him.

For perhaps the first time since you’d met him, Volo looked shocked; he hovered over you, flinching as Umbreon growled at him. His mouth opened and closed as he stumbled over his words. “You–are you–”

“I’m fine,” you spat, shifting into a sitting position despite the pain that shot through your abdomen.

Volo frowned, taking a step towards you. “The blood on your clothes tells a different story–”

“Don’t touch me,” you interrupted, scooting even further away from him. “I don’t need your help.”

“So you’d rather bleed to death in the wilderness than accept help from me?” Volo huffed, crossing his arms. “Doesn’t strike me as a particularly good attitude for a Survey Corps member to have.”

You sent him the most venomous glare you could muster. “What do you care?” you asked. “I thought you wanted me dead. Then the plates would be all yours, wouldn’t they? What was it you said up there? You’re ‘not above using force to get what you want’?”

Volo winced, and for a fleeting moment, you regretted your words. But you shook your head, making another motion to get away from him. He didn’t care about you. He never had. He was just trying to manipulate you again.

Thinking about the alternative would just hurt you more.

Volo sighed, taking another futile step towards you. “That’s not–”

“Just shut up!” you exclaimed. “Just shut up and leave me…alone…”

Your vision started fading, and you briefly registered Umbreon nudging against you in an attempt to keep you awake. The last thing you heard before slipping into unconsciousness was a shout of your name that sounded genuinely concerned.

But that couldn’t be right, could it?

---

The soft crackling of a fire was the first thing that met your ears as you returned to consciousness. You felt the glow of heat on your back as you slowly opened your eyes; you were laying on your side facing the wall of a cave. Your jacket had been removed, and your undershirt was bunched up to make room for the bandages on your stomach. As you took stock of yourself and your surroundings, you also noticed that your ankle had been treated.

You were just about to yawn and stretch when you heard a voice behind you.

“Am I some kind of fool, Togekiss?”

Your blood ran cold as you recognized Volo’s voice, as well as the chirp from his partner Pokemon. ‘Don’t move,’ you thought to yourself. ‘If you keep pretending to be asleep, he’ll eventually leave.’

Volo let out a sigh, and you heard him move around a bit. “This must be some kind of cosmic joke,” he continued. “They hate me. They have every right to. And by all accounts, I should hate them too. They ruined everything that I was working towards. So why…”

He trailed off, and you heard your Umbreon make a soft noise. You held back a sigh of relief, thankful that Umbreon hadn’t been abandoned.

When Volo spoke next, it was quiet, almost like a prayer.

“Why can’t I hate you?”

A shiver ran down your spine as he shifted from talking to his Pokemon to talking directly to you. Did he know you were awake? Surely not. Then why…?

“You seem to have no trouble hating me,” Volo continued. “But somehow, it’s so difficult to hold anything against you. Why do I care for you like this? Why…do I wish you still cared for me?”

A lump formed in your throat as your cheeks flushed.

He didn’t hate you.

He cared about you.

You did your best to still your beating heart, evening your breathing like you did when you were creeping through the grass. If he didn’t hate you, then nothing made sense; if he cared about you so much, then why would he have betrayed you like that? Why would he have been so angry when you defeated him?

If he didn’t hate you, then how could you bring yourself to hate him?

You must have slipped up in your breath control; Umbreon, suddenly alert, raced to your side. Volo tensed as you turned around. “You’re awake,” he said simply, readying himself to stand and leave.

You sat up gently, wincing at the dull pain that throbbed in your abdomen. You avoided his gaze, instead looking at the fire. Umbreon settled down at your side, eyeing Volo warily.

When you made no move to chase him away, Volo relaxed a bit. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” you replied softly, your voice hoarse. “...thank you.”

“You’re…Good. That’s…good.” Volo looked away from you towards the mouth of the cave. An uncomfortable silence draped over the two of you like a thick fog; the crackle of the fire was the only sound echoing off the cave walls. Volo looked uncomfortable, and you could only imagine you wore a similar expression.

Togekiss chirped, nudging Volo gently, and he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

You looked up at him. “What?”

“I know that doesn’t even begin to cover…everything,” Volo continued, not meeting your gaze, “and I know you deserve far more from me than a two-word phrase, but I wanted to say it.” He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, and the fire reflected against his slate-gray iris. “I didn’t want you to think…”

He trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

“...that you hated me?” you finished for him, meeting his gaze.

Volo’s face flushed. “Did you–”

“I did,” you interrupted. “...You and Togekiss were kind of loud.”

“Oh.” Volo fell silent, once again not meeting your gaze. That uncomfortable silence returned, and you suppressed a shudder.

Volo opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it.

“I don’t…want to hate you either.”

The words had left your mouth before you had time to think about them, and they surprised you in their sincerity. You really, truly, didn’t want to despise him; he had been your only solace when you were kicked out of Jubilife, and up until the temple, you had considered him one of the best friends you had made during your time here. A few times, close to the end of it all, you’d even found yourself thinking of him when he wasn’t around, committing his smile to your memory.

The only reason you’d been able to hate him was because you were convinced he felt the same toward you.

Volo seemed just as surprised as you were; his mouth hung open, and he turned his head to face you fully. “...you don’t?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” you continued, sitting up straighter. “I’m still…really angry about everything you did. And I don’t think we’ll ever get back to the way things used to be.” You met his gaze, trying to stay calm as he looked back at you. “But…I can’t keep pretending like I hate you.” You looked back at the fire, trying and failing to suppress the tear that ran down your cheek. “It wouldn’t hurt so much if I really did.”

Togekiss chirped happily, and Volo let out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. “...that’s…a relief to hear.”

You glanced up at him, and for the first time in months, you saw a genuine, happy smile on his face. It was small, and his lips quivered like he might drop it at any moment, but it was there.

And there, in the fading light of the fire, you found yourself smiling back.

[barnesafterglow]

this isn't a love song

summary: your life with bucky was perfect, so full of happiness and love. and then one day it wasn't.

pairing: bucky x f!reader

word count: 2.9k

warnings: it's based on all too well by t swift, it's literally just angst. modern au

a/n: i really thought a lot about how i wanted to end this, i'm an absolute sucker for happy endings. there was a lot of inner turmoil (and kat really pushed for different ending) but it is what it is. i'm so sorry :)

“Hey Beck, there’s someone I want you to meet.” To say you were nervous was an understatement. Although you and Bucky had been dating for six months now, this was the first time meeting anyone from his family. You took it as him just being nervous about your budding relationship; at least, that’s what he had told you. You weren’t sure if the chill down your spine came from the cold outside or the welcoming hug she gave you before helping you with your scarf and jacket. Her sunny demeanor quickly had your nerves fading, as you began to feel more at home.

Bucky’s family came as a bit of a shock to you. Where he was more reserved in his love, taking longer to become comfortable, his sisters immediately spoke to you as if you had been around their whole life, and you could see something that looked like hope in his mother’s eyes as she watched you interact with him.

Though you were only there for a couple hours, you left feeling like part of the family, and it warmed your heart in a way you didn’t think was possible. And you could tell Bucky felt that same warmth as he drove you through the backroads of his hometown, trying to cherise a little more time before you were thrown back into the whirlwind of the city. It was so late and you were so caught up in each other that Bucky nearly ran a red light in the middle of downtown.

His bashful smile made your heart flutter. “I’m sorry, you’re just so beautiful, I couldn’t stop lookin’ at ya.” The glimmer in his eyes matched yours as the autumn wind flew by you, and you could swear this is what forever felt like.

When you finally made it back into the city and to Bucky’s apartment, your hands were all over each other, giddy with happiness. As you step through the door, still giggling and sharing kisses, you realize you left something back at the Barnes’ house.

“Bucky! I lost my scarf. That was my favorite, what am I going to do?” You pouted and he had to contain his laugh and the seriousness on your face; it was incredibly endearing.

“Don’t worry, doll, Becca already texted me and said you left it over at the house. I’ll get it for you later.” And with that he kissed the pout off your face before tossing you on the couch as you laughed uncontrollably. Later that night, as you lay peacefully asleep on his chest, he can’t help thinking about this as his forever.

--

Two years later, you’re back at Becca’s house, this time to celebrate yours and Bucky’s engagement. There were more people than last time, relatives had come to town, and all your friends were there. Mrs. Barnes took great pleasure in pulling out all of the family’s old photo albums to embarrass Bucky. You found it adorable, while Bucky’s ears turned red and he grumbled something about how “at least he was a cuter baby than Steve.”

But no part of the night compares to when everyone gathered around you to hear the story of how Bucky proposed.

He had been thinking about it for a while, he even had the ring upstairs in his sock drawer. He just had no clue what to do. You deserved a lot better than whatever proposal he could come up with. But he was too scared to ask for help, so he just put it to the back of his mind until the time was right.

Apparently waiting for the right time isn’t actually a great plan, because almost a year after he bought the ring, he still hadn’t proposed. He was beginning to think there would never be a time he could find the courage to do it, until one night he came downstairs after waking up alone in bed.

He found you with your head in the fridge, headphones in your ears, dancing as you tried to find a late night snack. His heart swelled and before you could even look in his direction, he had swept you off your feet. You let out a terrified shriek, dropping your shredded cheese to the floor in the process. When you finally realized it was him, you ripped your headphones out and tried with all your might to get out of his grasp. But in the process, your phone started playing the music you had been listening to, and he dragged you around the kitchen until you danced with him. And there, with your messy hair and pillow creased face, illuminated by the refrigerator light, he decided that was the right moment.

With a quick promise to be right back, he bounded up the stairs for his sock drawer, and was back down before you could even start to clean up your mess.

“Hey, close your eyes for me,” his voice was so soft and serious that you didn’t even consider making a joke of it like you usually would. He took your hand in his and let out a shaking breath before he dropped the ring in it. Your eyes fluttered open and you let out a soft gasp, tears immediately springing to yours eyes.

“I have loved you with my whole heart, for so long. You make me feel things I never knew existed, and I want to spend every second feeling like I do right now. I want to scream lyrics to songs we barely know, and use our house as a dance floor no matter what time it is. I want these little moments and all the big moments. I want to remember everything about us. I would trade anything in the world if it meant you said yes right now, yes to marrying me.”

By then, you were both in tears, and you could barely get out the “yes, a million times yes” before he crashed his lips to yours, pouring every ounce of love he had into you. He finally managed to slip the ring onto your finger in the midst of a thousand kisses, and you danced around again until you both collapsed on the couch, in each other's arms, until the sun came sparkling through the front window.

The sweet story had everyone else on the verge of tears as well, even Steve who had heard already - right after you all had woken up that next morning. The love between the two of you was palpable, and it brightened the room for everyone in it. It seemed as though your love story was something of a fairytale. It was hard to grasp two people sharing that same amount of love for each other, especially as strong as yours was. But there wasn’t a glimmer of doubt between you as you dove into your own space in the universe right there beside the fireplace. Some might say it was almost too good to be true.

--

You would think that being engaged would be a dream; who wouldn’t cherise spending time with the person you were going to vow your life to? But for Bucky, your engagement had begun to seem more like a death sentence. Everything had been going so well, or maybe it had just been your rose-tinted glasses. But it felt like as the months went by, and you tried to start talking about wedding plans and the future, the less Bucky wanted to hear about it.

It started off small, like when you and Wanda had gone to a bridal show, and you brought back a stack of magazines to look through together. He said he had plans with Steve that he couldn’t bail on, even though he said nothing of it that morning when you left. You figured maybe he had forgotten to mention it, and occupied yourself the rest of the night, nose deep in a particular volume of dresses.

Then it became bigger things, like later work nights, and days when you didn’t even see him because he was gone before you woke up and came in long after you had gone to sleep. You tried to rationalize that he was just stressed - weddings do cost a lot, after all - but you knew you were only fooling yourself. You had felt his distance for months now, and just didn’t want to believe it. You told yourself the next time he was home you would confront him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to, even when you saw his forced smile. You wanted to keep pretending you were happy and in love; you didn’t want to face the worst.

Your final straw came when Bucky forgot your anniversary. You didn’t hear from him at all that day, and had hoped that maybe he was planning a surprise for you when you got home from work. But you knew the moment you stepped in the house and heard an eerie silence, that this was the beginning of the end.

You waited up that night until he came home at around midnight. He was startled by your deflated figure on the couch, and you quickly gathered yourself to stand on your feet.

“Hey, I thought you would be asleep by now. What’s going on, honey?” He almost sounds sincere in his worry. Almost. But for as much as Bucky had pulled away, you still knew him like the back of your hand. You started shaking, desperately trying not to cry; trying to be strong in the face of potentially losing the love of your life.

“Who is she? Who have you been seeing, and what does she have that I don’t? What does she have that has taken everything away from me?” There was no point in holding back anymore, you heaved as your knees dropped to the floor, no self respect left, all you could do was beg for his love. “Please, James, please. I need to know, I need to know why you’re tearing me apart so willingly. I need you to stay with me; I can’t live without you.”

The next thing you knew he was on his knees in front of you, prying your arms that had been clutching your chest away from your body, trying to envelope you in a hug. It took every shred of strength you had left to push him away and look him in the eye, pleading for an answer.

“There’s no one else, I swear on my life. I would never, ever do that to you. You deserve so much better than that.” That, at least, you felt was sincere.

“So what is it then? Why don’t you love me anymore?”

“Sweetheart, I do love you,” he seemed to hesitate just a bit before delivering the killing blow to your heart, “I’m just not in love with you anymore.”

You felt like you were underwater, anything else Bucky said was a million miles away, and you were drowning. You honestly wished that were true, because anything would feel better than the pain you were going through right now. It was like no other feeling in the world.

All you could hear was a ringing in your ears as you scrambled through the house, grabbing your essentials, because you couldn’t stand another moment of heartbreak encasing the air. Maybe tomorrow you would come back, talk it out, and see where this all left you; but for now you needed some space to let your mind stop racing.

You finally snapped out of it when Bucky grabbed your arm as you were walking to the door. You expected him to ask you to stay, to not leave him yet. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Because all he said to say to you was, “are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

The disbelief mixed with your shattered heart kept you from being able to even form a sentence. You ripped your arm from his grasp and got into your car, tossing your bag beside you. You wished you were strong enough to leave without a glance back, foolishly hoping to see him watching you go, but when you looked up, he had already closed the door.

The next morning, you woke up with a pounding headache and puffy eyes, and Wanda was already up making what you know will be a far too intricate “sorry you had to sleep on my couch last night” breakfast that you would take one bite of. When you walked around the corner to the kitchen, she already had pain medicine and a glass of orange juice for you. Thankful that your best friend knew exactly what you needed without having to ask, you sat down at the island with a soft groan.

“I don’t even know where to start. I knew it was coming, but I couldn’t have ever imagined a pain like this.” Your sobs started all over again, and Wanda wrapped her arms around you, whispering “I love you” and “it’s okay” over and over. Just when your tears begin to subside, you hear your phone ringing in the other room. That same feeling of false hope feels tight in your chest when you read Bucky’s name. You try to shove down your thoughts of reconciliation, but you can’t help what your heart is desperate for.

“Bucky? I’m so glad you called, I really think-”

“I packed up most of your things last night. I can mail them to you or drop them off, that way you don’t have to come back here; that would only make it harder.”

Your heart didn’t just shatter - it crumbled to ash that no amount of time could reconstruct. The thought of this heartbreak getting worse had never crossed your mind; you thought you had hit rock bottom, but apparently rock bottom has ten levels, and you were truly done for now. It took everything you had left to keep your head clear enough to hear him explain how he would give you the money for you to find a new place - he thought that would be easier than having to stay in the place where you had spent almost two years of your life together. He had thought everything out already, almost as if he had planned for this.

You hung up without another word. Two days later, your life was in boxes in Wanda’s living room, and two weeks later, they were in a strange apartment that felt like it could never possibly be your home.

The next months of your life went by in a blur. You got dressed, went to work, and came home. You didn’t see your friends; you picked up the same meal everyday. You hadn’t even unpacked anything except for some clothes. Nearly everything sat the same way it had since you moved in, since Bucky had packed it all up for you.

No matter how many times Wanda or Natasha, or even Steve once, knocked on your door in an attempt to get you to interact with them, all you did was send them a text to let them know you were alive, staying sedated from your semi-permanent spot on the couch.

By the time it was approaching a year, you had managed to stray from your routine a bit. Wanda came over once a week to cook dinner for the two of you and put on a movie; sometimes you watched it, sometimes you just stared at the TV, and sometimes - on your good days - you even talked to her. It wasn’t much, but it was progress.

On a crisp October morning, you were searching through opened boxes trying to find your favorite scarf. It was driving you insane, because you knew you would never get rid of something you loved so much, and realization hit. You hadn’t seen it since that first night you met Bucky’s family, and you somehow knew he had kept it all this time. It was like you ran into a brick wall, paralyzing you; you could feel every inch of progress you made slipping through your fingers. But you were stronger than you were a year ago. You didn’t cry or break down. Instead, you grabbed your jacket and headed out the door, determined to keep your resolve. If you could make it through today, you knew you would be okay.

As a reward to yourself, you stopped at your favorite coffee shop on your way to work - one you hadn’t been to since the break up. But you felt confident as you stood in line with your head held high. It was almost going perfectly until someone ran into you on your way toward the exit, knocking your purse out of your hand.

Both of you bent down, scrambling to grab it, and you looked up to meet steel blue eyes, the very ones who had haunted your dreams for months and months. Shockingly, you could still read them as if they hadn’t been gone a day. Bucky looked as bad as you felt, and you knew the year hadn’t been as easy as he tried to make it out to be that very last time you spoke to him.

You both stood up, never breaking eye contact. Your breath hitched as he opened his mouth to speak, saying just what you knew he would. You knew him all too well.

tagging people who interact with me sometimes *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

@lovinggbarnes @artisancowbells @comfortbucky @starbuckie @belladonnabarnes @bucksmotel @buckys-darling @angrythingstarlight @asgardwinter @gray-reads @starrysebastians @pellucid-constellations